FLCS Game 4 Primer - at Québec Capitales
QUÉBEC CITY, QUÉBEC, CA (Sept. 14) - With last night's 8-6 finish in Game 3 of the 2024 Frontier League Championship Series, it'll be the Washington Wild Things looking to force a game 5 by avoiding a third-straight loss in the series in Game 4 tonight, Saturday, September 14 at 7:05 p.m. at Stade Canac. Washington has not lost three straight since Opening Weekend against Schaumburg.
Last night, Washington got homers from Tyreque Reed, Brandon McIlwain, Tommy Caufield and Caleb McNeely in what turned out to be a bit of a slugfest in the small Stade Canac, though the ball flied a lot better than normal in Québec City. The Capitales got homers from Justin Gideon, Anthony Quirion and Tommy Seidl. The second of those gave Québec a 7-6 lead as part of what ended up a three-run seventh inning. Christian James was tagged for the loss after allowing the three in the seventh. Ruben Ramirez was brilliant for the Capitales in silencing the Washington offense after the Wild Things chased Abdiel Saldana after just 2.2 innings. Ramirez allowed the homer to McNeely in the fourth, but struck out seven in five innings of work with just three hits against him.
Brendan Nail was the only Washington pitcher to spin a scoreless outing last night, throwing 1.1 innings of scoreless ball with 3 strikeouts. Gilberto Chu got an out and Nick Trabacchi the save in a scoreless ninth for the two scoreless Québec outings. Reed led the way for the Washington bats, going 3-for-4 with the homer, two runs scored and two RBI. He was also hit by a pitch.
Zach Kirby will make the start for Washington in Game 4 looking to slow the Capitales' bats down at the jump. Kirby pitched a scoreless inning in Game 2 of the FLCS at home after making the Game 2 start in the FLDS. In that outing, he lasted four innings and allowed one hit with three punchouts but walked five. The good news was he was able to escape two bases-loaded jams in the start that would've matched his career high in walks in an outing had it been a regular season contest. Kirby was 10-4 with the league's third-best ERA at 2.42 during the regular season.
He'll be opposed by lefty Harley Gollert for Québec. Gollert has never pitched against Washington and is set for his second appearance of the postseason. He was the winner from the pen in game 2 of the FLDS against Ottawa, throwing three scoreless innings wiht two hits allowed and a strikeout. During the regular campaign, Gollert, a Toronto native, was 6-6 with a 3.79 ERA in 20 starts. He logged 109.1 innings and allowed 112 hits and 37 walks to 101 strikeouts. His last start came on August 29 against New England. In that outing he allowed four hits and four runs, all earned, with four walks and four strikeouts in five innings of work, suffering a loss.
A win forces a decisive game 5 Sunday at 5:05 p.m. while a Québec victory clinches the title for the Capitales and history, as Québec could become the first team to three-peat in Frontier League history. Gates for the watch party at Wild Things Park open at 6 p.m. You can also watch the game with a subscription to FloBaseball or listen for free on the Wild Things' MixLR channel. Game 4, presented by St. Clair Health, will go live at 6:50 p.m. on the Wild Things Baseball Network.
