Jul 27, 2018 2 min read

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – After taking a 7-0 lead in the fourth inning, it seemed like Washington was turning a corner, as the Wild Things had lost eight of their last 11 games entering Friday night’s contest at Traverse City.

Despite the Beach Bums scoring runs in each of the last four innings and getting the winning run in scoring position in the ninth inning, the Wild Things held on for the 7-6 win.

Wild Things closer Zach Strecker, who started the season on a 21-inning scoreless streak but has blown three saves in the past two weeks, shut the door he helped keep open for his 14th save. He allowed four hits and two runs in the ninth, but got Alexis Rivera to ground out to end the game.

The Things (34-30) got on the scoreboard first, plating two runs in the first inning when Hector Roa doubled home James Harris and Roman Collins.

Washington then scored five in the fourth inning to take a 7-0 lead. Harris hit a three-run home run to score Conner Simonetti and Brett Marr. Mike Hill followed suit with a two-run roundtripper to score Roa.

The Beach Bums (31-32) didn’t score a run until the sixth inning, when they pushed across two against Wild Things starter Trevor Bradley. Connor Oliver doubled home Will Kengor and Steve Lohr to make the score 7-2.

Bradley (4-2) allowed four hits and two runs to get the win. He walked three and struck out seven in six innings. Traverse City starting pitcher Justin Finan (0-4) was the losing pitcher, allowing 12 hits and seven runs in four innings.

The Beach Bums scored a run in both the seventh and eighth innings to reduce its deficit to three runs. Orlando Rivera hit an RBI single in the seventh, and Lohr scored in the eighth on a bases-loaded double play, induced by Wild Things reliever Davis Adkins.