May 21, 2016 5 min read

Matt Fraudin pitched six strong innings and Washington’s bullpen, which included opening night starter Trevor Foss in a closer’s role, did its job Saturday night as the Wild Things defeated the Lake Erie Crushers, 4-2.

It was the first loss of the season for Lake Erie (6-1), which was the last unbeaten team in the Frontier League.

The most important development of the night from a Washington standpoint might have been left fielder Andrew Heck and designated hitter Jimmy Yezzo each showing signs of breaking out of early season slumps.

Heck, who was 2-for-16 in the first week of the Frontier League season, went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and two runs. Yezzo, a former seventh-round draft pick of the Washington Nationals, also scuffled in that opening week, collecting just three hits in 32 at-bats. The lefty power hitter triggered a two-run eighth inning with a laser beam of a double to right field. Yezzo scored to give Washington a 3-1 lead when Heck followed with his triple to right field.

Heck and Yezzo weren’t the only Washington hitters who had frustrating first weeks. The Wild Things’ team batting average after seven games was .184. Some good pitching and timely hits have enabled Washington to build a 4-4 record.

”It’s definitely a work in progress,” Washington manager Gregg Langbehn said. “To say those guys are collectively frustrated would be an understatement.

”Andrew has been around the league for a while and we know he’s going to hit. Yezzo’s numbers have not been indicative of how he’s hit the ball. He probably had five lineouts in the series at Joliet.”

Fraudin, Foss and reliever Devon Davis made sure the Wild Things didn’t need much offense.

In his first start of the season, Fraudin (1-0) gave up only three hits and one run, a solo homer to Lake Erie catcher Jose Barraza three batters into the game. An Upper St. Clair native, Fraudin walked two and struck out seven.

”Fraudin was excellent,” Langbehn said. “He commanded the strike zone, which is what we had been trying to focus on with him. He got behind in the count against (Barraza) but … we’re pleased with his first start.”

Heck helped Washington tie the score at 1-1 when he led off the fifth with a double off Lake Erie starter Steve Hagen. A groundout and wild pitch allowed Heck to score.

The Wild Things took the lead in the sixth against Lake Erie reliever Mike Devine (2-1). Justin Fox was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Jamal Austin and Austin Wobrock followed with singles that loaded the bases with no outs, and Fox raced home with the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to right field by Ricky Rodriguez.

The inning fizzled with a double play, but Washington added two runs in the seventh, which was triggered by the Heck and Yezzo blasts. Heck eventually scored to make it 4-2 when Fox bounced an infield single off the glove of Crushers reliever Kolby Moore.

”Early in the season, you can see the ball well one day and not so good the next,” Heck said. “You see so many different pitchers in spring training, you’re playing day games and night games. Those aren’t excuses, but sometimes it’s hard to get comfortable at the plate early in the season.

”We have a lot of guys who can swing it, but sometimes you can do too much when you’re struggling early in the season.”

Davis threw two scoreless innings, working out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the seventh by getting Max Casper to bounce into an inning-ending around-the-horn double play.

Lake Erie made it interesting in the ninth, scoring an unearned run off Foss, who volunteered for back-of-the-bullpen duty. Closer Andrew Woeck had pitched in each of the last two games and was given the night off.

”(Sunday) was Trevor’s day to throw on the side, so I asked him if he wanted to throw on the side or in the game,” Langbehn said. “Because of Trevor’s competitive nature, he bought us another day with our bullpen. Sometimes you have to do that.”

Lake Erie, which used nine pitchers in Friday’s series opener, used four Saturday night. … Traverse City pitcher Kramer Champlin threw a no-hitter Friday against Joliet. He struck out 10 and walked two. Champlin’s next start is likely to be against the Wild Things when the Beach Bums will be in Washington for a doubleheader Wednesday and a single game Thursday night. … Washington third baseman Bryan Haar, who hit four home runs in the first six games, was out of the lineup for the second consecutive night.