Thrilling end to Things’ victory
Clinging to hope, and with time running out on the season, the Wild Things did the only thing they can do to stay alive in the Frontier League playoff race – they won.
Barely.
Washington cut short a ninth-inning rally by East Division champion Schaumburg when center fielder Rashad Brown made what has to be considered the most important play of the season for the Wild Things.
Brown threw out Schaumburg’s Andrew Brodbeck, who was trying to score from second base on a single by John Holland, at home plate for the final out in Washington’s 6-5 victory Wednesday night at Wild Things Park.
“If we would have lost that one, oh, man, it would have been tough to come back to the ballpark,” Washington manager Gregg Langbehn admitted.
Instead, the Wild Things will return today for the series finale with an extra bounce in their step because of Brown’s throw.
With Brodbeck on second base with two outs, Holland hit a line-drive single to center field, which had Brown charging in while moving slightly to his right.
“I was playing shallow because there were two outs, so I thought (Brodbeck) would be trying to score,” Brown said. “I’m pretty good at tracking down balls over my head, so I wanted to take away the shallow hit. It was a line drive, so it gave me enough time.”
The left-handed outfielder cleanly fielded the baseball on a big hop and fired a strike to catcher John Fidanza.
“It wasn’t an easy throw because I was going to my right. I had to realign myself,” Brown explained. “I threw it as hard as I could. I didn’t even see the throw, if it was on line or not, because when I threw the ball I fell down.”
The ball arrived before Brodbeck, who attempted to make a wide slide around Fidanza, who applied the tag and home plate umpire Ron Whiting made the game-ending out call.
“The way Rashad has been throwing the ball, I wasn’t surprised he threw him out,” Langbehn said. “He’s very accurate with his throws to home. I was glad the ball was hit as hard as it was because it buys us a couple of steps.”
For eight innings, Washington was in firm control of the game and led 6-2. Starting pitcher Ethan Gibbon s (7-6) and reliever Jacob Condra-Bogan each were superb, shortstop Mike Hill had two doubles, including a two-run shot in the fifth, and second baseman Justin Bohn hit two sacrifice flies.
Then it got much closer than it should have in the ninth. Schaumburg, the top hitting team in the league, scored three runs off two hits and two Washington errors. The Boomers rallied against Washington closer Zach Strecker, who did not retire any of the four batters he faced before being replaced by Jake Eaton, who earned his first save.
Schaumburg used two infield hits and two errors to pull to within 6-3. The most costly play of the inning came with the bases loaded and no outs. Brodbeck hit a chopper back to the mound that Strecker fielded cleanly and threw home in an attempt to force out Rock Shoulders for the inning’s first out. The throw was wide of Fidanza and sailed to backstop, allowing Schaumburg to close to within 6-3.
That was the last batter Strecker faced. Eaton came on and gave up a run-scoring groundout and a sacrifice fly that made it a one-run game and set up Brown’s game-saving throw.
Gibbons allowed only three hits and two runs in 6 1/3 innings. He left after walking consecutive batters in the seventh and Washington leading 5-2. Condra-Bogan, an unsigned draft pick of the Toronto Blue Jays this year, retired all five batters he faced, the final two via strikeouts.
“Gibbons was fantastic,” Langbehn said. “And Condra-Bogan is gaining a lot of confidence.”
The win moved Washington into a tie with River City and to within a half-game of Windy City for the final wild-card playoff spot with 11 games remaining. The Wild Things and ThunderBolts play a three-game series in Crestwood, Ill., beginning Friday.