Three Homers, Solid Pitching Lead Washington to Sixth-Straight W
WASHINGTON, Pa. (July 9) - The Washington Wild Things continued their hot streak as they won their sixth-consecutive game with a victory over the Evansville Otters 7-1. The Wild Things were led offensively by Caleb McNeely and Tyreque Reed while Malik Barrington worked a quality start.
The Otters jumped on the board early as a leadoff single and aggressive baserunning allowed Gio DiGiacomo to score the first run of the game on an RBI groundout by David Mendham. Caleb McNeely responded with a leadoff single of his own in the bottom of the first inning but was retired on a fielder’s choice. Two infield hits kept the inning alive and allowed Washington to answer as Tyreque Reed recorded an RBI to quickly tie the game at a run apiece.
Caleb McNeely continued to build on his All-Star campaign in the bottom of the third inning as he led off the inning by lifting a fly ball into left field that landed in the parking lot and gave Washington a 2-1 lead. The home run tied McNeely for the Frontier League lead with 12 home runs and extended his league lead with his 53rd run batted in.
Later in the inning, Brandon McIlwain and Andrew Czech each recorded line drive singles before Reed stepped up to the plate. Once again, Reed showed off his power as he launched the first pitch over the batter’s eye in center field to give Washington a 5-1 lead. The homer was Reed’s third of the season, all in the last two games, and gave him 19 RBI on the season.
The Wild Things added more offense in the bottom of the fifth inning as Evan Berkey launched his third home run of the season and third of the game for Washington. The home run was a two-run shot as Reed recorded a single a batter earlier and extended the lead to 7-1. The homer was Berkey’s first of the evening and Washington’s 11th through the first five innings.
After struggling in the first inning, starting pitcher Malik Barrington responded well and finished the outing with his third quality start of the season as he pitched six innings and allowed only one run. Barrington finished his start especially strong as he struck out the Otters in order in the top of the sixth inning and finished the night with six strikeouts on three walks and three hits. He retired the final nine he faced.
The bullpen picked up where Barrington left off and finished the game with three shutout innings with two innings from Nick MacDonald and one from Justin Goossen-Brown. In those three innings, the two pitchers combined to strike out three batters while allowing two hits and walking four. Barrington finished the game with the win to improve his record to 3-2 on the season.
The Wild Things were led offensively from three hit performances by McNeely and Reed. Both hitters recorded a home run and two singles as Reed drove in four of the seven runs scored for Washington. Additionally, Berkey added two RBI with his fifth inning home run. McIlwain and Czech also added two-hit performances. In all, the 3-4-5 hitters for the Wild Things went 7-for-12 combined with a homer and six singles. This was also the fifth three-homer performance of the season for the Wild Things.
The Wild Things will continue the series with the Otters on Wednesday evening for a Senior Slugger Wednesday matchup presented by AARP Pennsylvania. First pitch is slated for 6:05 p.m.
