Washington Dominates Middle Game in Avon, West Magic Number Down to 1
AVON, Ohio (August 24) – The Washington Wild Things dominated the Crushers in the middle game at Crushers Stadium to the tune of a 10-2 victory, bringing the West Division magic number down to one in the process. Washington will be West champs Sunday with a win OR a loss by Gateway to Evansville.
Caleb McNeely shined in the win, plating four including taking the first pitch of the game of the left-centerfield wall to make it 1-0. Washington added four in the second. McNeely singled home a run before Tyreque Reed hit a three-run homer to make it 5-0 after two. It was Reed’s 12th of the season. Ethan Wilder hit a run-scoring double in the third to make it 6-0 while Dariel Fregio shoved.
Fregio worked Washington’s 50th quality start of the 2024 campaign on the mound, going seven and allowing just one baserunner on a second-inning double. He fanned eight in facing one over the minimum through his time on the mound for his ninth win.
The Wild Things added three in the seventh, two on double by McNeely and another on Tommy Caufield’s RBI hit. Andrew Czech lifted his 16th homer of the season in the eighth, giving Washington a 10-0 lead. Lake Erie got a two-run homer from catcher John Tuccillo in the eighth to pull within eight but that’s all the Crushers would get.
MacDonald gave up that homer but otherwise was clean in the frame. Brendan Nail worked the ninth and got a zero to close the game.
The Wild Things and Crushers will battle in the series finale tomorrow at 2:05 p.m. Jordan DiValerio will toe the rubber for the Wild Things and go against Lake Erie’s Anthony Escobar.
