Wild Things Use Big 7th, Quality DiValerio Start in Win
CRESTWOOD, Il. (August 9) – The Washington Wild Things went into Crestwood, Illinois at Ozinga Field and took the opener of the three-game, weekend series against the ThunderBolts, 6-4. It was behind a four-run seventh and a strong start from righty Jordan DiValerio, who worked his ninth quality start of the 2024 season in the win.
DiValerio allowed just a two-run, infield single in the fifth inning. That snapped an 18-inning scoreless streak, Washington’s second longest of the year. The reigning Frontier League Pitcher of the Week fanned five and yielded seven hits in six frames with one walk, which was only his 13th of the season. He’s now 8-2.
Washington started the scoring in the first inning on a sacrifice fly by Wagner Lagrange that plated Tommy Caufield, making it 1-0. The two-run infield single by Henry Kusiak off DiValerio in the fifth gave Windy City a 2-1 lead, which lasted until Washington’s turnn at the dish in the seventh inning.
The Wild Things plated four in the frame, getting a game-tying, run-scoring single from Robert Chayka that plated Ethan Wilder. On the same play, the relay home skipped to the backstop allowed Wilder and another runner to get 90 extra feet. It proved somewhat consequential. Jalen Miller worked ahead 3-0 before being intentionally walked to first to load the bases. Caufield came up and lifted a sac fly to left to score Ricardo Sanchez before Tyreque Reed’s two-run single to right on a 3-2 pitch made it 5-2 Wild Things.
In the ninth, Reed doubled home a sixth Washington run, making it 6-2. Thomas Rodriguez hit a two-run homer, only his third of the year, to close the deficit to 6-4, but that’s all Windy City could muster in the ninth, ultimately bringing the series opener to its conclusion.
Christian James and Alex Carrillo worked scoreless frames in the win, which also saw Reed have a three-hit night. Andrew Czech joined Reed in the multi-hit department with two of his own.
With Schaumburg’s loss to Lake Erie in sudden death and Washington’s win, the club’s playoff magic number has decreased to nine. The win brought the West Division magic number to 15 with 20 to go.
The middle game goes down tomorrow at 7:05/6:05 p.m. CDT at Ozinga Field. Kobe Foster will be activated off the injured list to make the start against Windy City’s Michael Barker.
