May 28, 2015 2 min read

O’FALLON, Mo. – Lefty Kyle Helisek pitched eight shutout innings and the Wild Things got their first series win by defeating the River City Rascals, 4-0, Thursday night at T.R. Hughes Ballpark.

Washington (4-8) won the final two contests in the three-game series.

Helisek (2-1), a former standout at Seneca Valley High School, allowed six hits and one walk. He struck out six. Washington signed Helisek last month after he spent four seasons in the St. Louis Cardinals’ farm system.

River City was close to ending the shutout bid in the eighth inning, using a pair of two-out singles and a double steal to put runners on second and third. Helisek, however, ended the threat by getting a popout on his final pitch of the night.

Reliever Richie Mirowski pitched a perfect ninth inning to complete the shutout.

Austin Wobrock, the No. 9 hitter in the Wild Things’ lineup, was 3-for-3 and played a part in three of the Washington runs.

The Wild Things took a 2-0 lead in the third inning, which began with a double by Wobrock. Danny Poma followed with a run-scoring single. David Popkins’ single moved Poma to third base and C.J. Beatty’s sacrifice fly made the score 2-0.

In the fifth, a single by Wobrock, a walk, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI-groundout by Beatty pushed the lead to 3-0.

Wobrock drove in John Fidanza with a single for the final run during the sixth inning.

Prior to the game, Washington activated pitcher Tim Giel from the disabled list and placed pitcher Kyle Vazquez on the 7-day DL. Giel is a Gibsonia native and played his high school baseball at Shady Side Academy before pitching at Columbia University and in the New York Yankees’ system.

Washington begins a weekend series against the Gateway Grizzlies tonight in Sauget, Ill. The series will conclude the Wild Things’ nine-game road trip, their longest in four years.