McNeely's Two-Homer Game Highlights Game 1 Win Sunday
WASHINGTON, Pa. (Sept. 1) – The Washington Wild Things won both ends of a doubleheader Sunday at Wild Things Park in front of the seventh sellout crowd of the 2024 home schedule, 4-2 in game one and 6-5 in game two, eliminating the Schaumburg Boomers from playoff contention in the process and getting to 67 wins, the new franchise record after the club set it at 64 wins.
Game 1’s scoring started in the first inning as newly named Frontier League MVP Caleb McNeely blasted his 22nd home run of the season to put Washington on the board first.
The teams traded runs in the second inning, both of which were unearned. In the top of the third, Pittsburgh native and first-year Boomer Christian Fedko homered to pull the game even at 2-2. Andrew Czech hit his 18th homer of the season in the third to make it 3-2. McNeely hit his second home run of the game in the fourth to make it 4-2, which ended the scoring.
McNeely’s two-homer performance was Washington’s seventh multi-HR game of the season and his second. Jordan DiValerio pitched 3.2 innings, ending a streak of seven-straight quality starts. He did not get a decision. Christian James got the win after retiring the final batter of the fourth inning. Brendan Nail, Alex Carrillo and Gyeongju Kim combined to finish off game one with Kim earning his 28th save of the season.
Malik Barrington started game two for Washington and was tagged for Schaumburg’s five runs in game two. The Boomers scored a run on a sac fly by Chase Dawson in the first. Schaumburg then got two two-run homers from Aaron Simmons in the second and third innings.
Washington plated four in the first inning, three on a homer by Wagner Lagrange, his 12th homer, and one on an RBI double by Jake Washer. In the third, Andrew Czech doubled home a run and Washer singled home Czech making it 6-5 Wild Things.
Tyreque Reed was lifted after a 2-for-2 start in game two of the doubleheader, putting him at .341 and winning him the 2024 Frontier League batting title. Reed, the postseason All Star DH in the league, became the first Wild Thing to ever win the league’s batting crown.
Nick MacDonald earned the win with two scoreless in the second game and Ryan Munoz capped the nightcap with his second save, a two-inning save.
The 2024 West Division Champions will watch Lake Erie travel to Gateway Tuesday for the West Division Wild Card game. The winner of that game will host Washington for game one of the FLDS Thursday before the series, a best of three, shifts to Washington for games two and three (if necessary) next weekend.
Tickets for the Frontier League Division Series games at Wild Things Park are available now. Game 2 (listed as 2024 Playoff Game 1 on the ticket site) is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Saturday, September 7. The game is presented by McClellands Contracting and Roofing, LLC and the first 1,000 fans will receive Thunder Sticks presented by UPMC. Game 3 (labeled as 2024 Playoff Game 2 on the ticket site), if necessary, in the best of three series, will be a Blueprints Kids Eat Free Sunday at 5:35 p.m. Sunday, September 8.
