Wild Things Bats Pace Exhibition Effort to Start May
WASHINGTON, Pa. (May 1) - The Wild Things posted 13 hits in exhibition play at home against Florence Thursday, including a three-run homer from Brett Roberts and multi-hit efforts from Wagner Lagrange and Ethan Wilder en route to a convincing win at EQT Park on Winner's Day, presented by EQT.
Pitching was very solid in the effort as well Thursday, as Florence managed just one run and five hits against a host of arms run out by the Wild Things to the mound. The Y'alls scored an eighth-inning tally on an RBI single by Stephen Hrustich off Santiago Florez, who ended up working 1.2 innings of one-run ball with a strikeout. Regi Grace started and tossed three scoreless frames, adding a strikeout and he allowed one hit. Tyler Wehrle took over in the fourth and worked the frame 1-2-3 before giving way to Edwar Polimir, who surrendered a hit in an otherwise clean fifth. Jacob McCaskey authored a 1-2-3 sixth inning. Around a walk and a hit, Albert Cuell-Batista put up a zero in the seventh, adding a punchout. He got a fly out to start the eighth before Florez entered. Finally, making his spring debut, Joelvis Del Rosario worked the 10th and allowed a pair of walks before escaping unscathed with a strikeout to end things.
Washington scored its first two in the second. Andrew Czech walked to start the inning, went to second on a ground ball and then scored, along with Ethan Wilder, who was hit by a pitch, on a two-run triple by Sammy Infante. The Wild Things added a run in the fourth on a double-play ball off the bat of Wagner Lagrange, scoring Tyreque Reed, who singled to lead the inning off. In the fifth, Wilder doubled and scored on a single by Jommer Hernandez, who'd score with Kadon Morton on a three-run homer by Brett Roberts. The Things loaded the bases in the sixth with singles by Lagrange, Tommy Caufield and Wilder before a twin killing ended any threat. Washington then grabbed two in the ninth on a wild pitch and a fielder's choice, giving an RBI to Hernandez for the second time in the game.
Washington's next exhibition is scheduled for Saturday at Lake Erie at 4:05 p.m. The club plays Lake Erie at EQT Park Sunday at 3:05 p.m. with tickets available here. Ottawa visits the ballpark Wednesday, May 7 at 7:05 p.m. Tickets for that game are available here. Both of those games are free admission but you must reserve seats.
