Fregio and Company Dominant, Big Seventh Aids Washington's Series Win in Sauget

SAUGET, Il. (June 27) – Dariel Fregio allowed just two baserunners in a marvelous start in Sauget and Washington allowed just three including those two in a rubber-game victory, leading to a 6-1 win in finale between the two clubs in the 2024 regular season. Washington also scored five times in the seventh to take the lead for good.

After Washington was retired in the first, Abdiel Diaz homered as the first batter against Fregio in the bottom of the first. That made it 1-0 but it was all Gateway would get in the run and hit departments. Fregio settled in and retired the next 16 batters before a hit by pitch was the only other baserunner against Fregio in the sixth inning. He’d retire the next two to evade any more runners in the sixth, in all retiring 18 of the last 19 he faced and 18 of 20 overall in his ninth start of the season. Fregio threw 75 pitches over six innings with the one hit and run. He fanned two and is now 5-2 this season.

Washington’s first run was plated by Evan Berkey in the fifth on his second book-rule double of the night. An HBP in the first of Berkey extended his on-base streak to 17 games, Washington’s longest such active streak. Berkey ended up grounding home the lead-giving run in the seventh. Ricardo Sanchez walked to start the frame and was sacrificed to second. On the sac bunt by Derek Gellos, a throwing error by Alvery De Los Santos allowed Gellos to reach and both runners to advance 90 more feet. Berkey’s groundout to second gave Washington the lead at 2-1.

Caleb McNeely reached on an error, Gateway’s second of the seventh, allowing Gellos to score and the inning to roll on. Andrew Czech then singled home a run to make it 4-1 and scored on a two-run homer by Wagner Lagrange, his fifth of the season, that made it 6-1. That ended up the final as Christian James came on and retired all six batters he faced before Gyeongju Kim shut the door with a scoreless ninth.

The long trip continues for Washington tomorrow in Avon, Ohio, with the first of a weekend series at the Lake Erie Crushers, the second-place team in the West Division. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m.