Wild Things Dropped in Rubber Game, First Road Rubber Game Defeat

EVANSVILLE, In. (July 21) – The Washington Wild Things dropped the finale at Bosse Field, 4-3, despite a comeback effort late. It was a four-run sixth for the Otters that did Washington in as the club dropped its first road rubber game (3-1) this season, falling to 39-20 in the process.

Ricardo Sanchez knocked in the game’s first run in the top of the fifth with an RBI double that plated Robert Chayka, who had drawn a two-out walk. Malik Barrington was strong through five, evading a few jams, before walking the leadoff batter in the sixth and hitting the next batter. Those were the final two Barrington faced.

Ryan Munoz came on and surrendered a two-run double to Dakota Phillips. A few batters later after a flyout moved Phillips to third and an intentional walk, Logan Brown bunted home a third run and Alec Olund, who was walked intentionally, scored on an RBI single by Giovanni DiGiacomo. That made it 4-1 in favor of Evansville.

Brandon McIlwain hit solo shots for a multi-HR game in the seventh and ninth innings and Washington had the tying run on in the eighth and tying run on in the ninth but failed to come up with more. McIlwain now has three homers in the last two games, his first three as a Wild Thing.

Christian James and Nick MacDonald put up zeroes from the pen for Washington in the loss.

The Wild Things, who remain 2.5 games up in front of Lake Erie for first in the West, now return home to play Lake Erie in a three-game series starting with a 10:35 a.m. Super Splash Day affair Tuesday at Wild Things Park. Those three contests will lead into the homestand continuing over the weekend with the East’s second-place club, the New York Boulders. Tickets and promotional info are available at washingtonwildthings.com.