May 29, 2017 4 min read

You don’t need to watch Bralin Jackson to know the Wild Things’ left fielder is a good hitter. According to Washington manager Gregg Langbehn, all you need to do is listen.

“It makes a different sound when he hits the ball. It sounds the same as when a major leaguer hits the ball,” said Langbehn, a former Class AAA pitcher.

On Sunday evening, all you needed to do was listen to the roar of the crowd at Wild Things Park to know Jackson delivered while at-bat for Washington.

Jackson hit a game-tying solo home run in the seventh inning, then laced a run-scoring single in the 11th that gave the Wild Things an 9-8 victory over the Frontier League’s West Division-leading Florence Freedom.

The win enabled the Wild Things to salvage one game of the series and end their nine-game homestand with a 5-4 record. It also came one night after the Freedom rallied to beat the Wild Things in a fight-marred game that resulted in one player from each team being ejected and eventually suspended by the league.

“That was a great win, no doubt about it,” Langbehn said. “(Saturday) night was tough to swallow with all the extra-curricular stuff.”

It was a ragged game that concluded a messy series. For the third consecutive day, Washington’s starting pitcher failed to make it through the fourth inning. Five Washington pitchers combined to issue seven walks – they walked 21 batters in the series – and hit three batters. Florence committed four errors, including three in the second inning when the Wild Things took a 6-1 lead.

Florence, however, battled back and tied the score at 6-6 with a three-run sixth inning. The Freedom had two hit batsmen on consecutive pitches sandwiched between doubles by Jordan Brower and pinch-hitter Ozzie Braff.

The Freedom took a 7-6 lead in the seventh, scoring without a hit. The Wild Things helped with two walks and a throwing error.

Jackson got run back with a solo home run just inside the left-field foul pole that tied the score at 7-7. It was the third home run of the season for Jackson, who went 3-for-5 with three RBI to raise his batting average to .404.

A Raytown, Mo., native who was a fifth-round draft pick of Tampa Bay and spent five years in the Rays’ system, Jackson has been the Wild Things’ best hitter.

“I’m having fun again,” Jackson said. “I loved my time with the Rays, but my love for the game is coming back. … I didn’t go to college, but playing here is what I think a college atmosphere is like. Everybody is playing for each other. This is the team. There is no Double-A or Triple-A to worry about.”

The game went to the international tiebreaker in the 11th inning, meaning each half inning started with a runner on second base and no outs. Florence took an 8-7 lead in the 11th on Andre Mecurio’s two-out single.

Washington, however, scored twice in the bottom of the 11th. Rashad Brown laced a one-out triple to right centerfield that scored Kyle Pollock, who began the inning on second base. Following a shallow flyout for the second out, Jackson hit a game-winning single through the right side of the infield off Florence closer Matt Pobereyko (0-1), the seventh Freedom pitcher.

“I was praying that I’d get an at-bat in the 11th because (Pobereyko) struck me out to end the game Saturday night,” Jackson said.

Washington closer Zach Strecker (2-0) pitched four innings for the win. Rookie Aaron Burns, who was making his first professional start, lasted only three innings, giving up five hits, three walks and three runs (one earned).

Washington’s bullpen had to pitch 19 innings in the series.

“It all comes down to starting pitching,” Langbehn said. “We can’t have three starters combine to go 8 2/3 innings. That’s not acceptable. There are going to be changes in the rotation next weekend. We have to work it out and get it right.”

Washington third baseman Mike Hill and Florence catcher Garrett Vail each were suspended six games for their roles in the benches-clearing incident Saturday night. … Kenny peoples-walls played third base in Hill’s absence and had three hits. … Washington begins a three-game series Tuesday at Joliet.