May 17, 2018 5 min read

In the first week of Frontier League play, Washington center fielder James Harris is playing like a former first round draft pick.

Entering Washington’s game against Gateway Thursday night, the 2011 Tampa Bay Rays first-rounder was hitting .353 with two home runs and seven RBI through four games.

It only got better for the leadoff hitter in the first game of the seven-inning doubleheader, as Harris hit for the first cycle in Washington’s 17-year history in the Wild Things’ 11-4 win. Washington went onto sweep the doubleheader, winning the nightcap 1-0.

“You never go into a game hoping you can hit for the cycle,” Harris said. “I was just happy I was able to put together some at-bats to score us some runs.”

Harris led off the bottom of the first at Wild Things Park with a home run to tie the score at 1-1 after the Grizzlies scored a run in the top half of the inning. The second-year Wild Things outfielder then singled in the second inning and came around to score on a Roman Collins two-run single.

Washington (4-2) scored three runs in the inning to take a 4-1 lead, with Brett Marr tallying the other RBI on a sacrifice fly that scored Kyle Pollock, who had reached base on a triple.

After Trae Santos, who went 3-for-3 with a walk in the opener, singled home a run for Gateway (4-2), Harris roped a bases-clearing triple off Grizzlies starter Mike Elwood, who was the losing pitcher with eight runs (six earned) allowed in 3 1/3 innings. Harris’ triple gave the Wild Things a 7-2 lead.

“That’s how he’s been swinging so far this season,” said Wild Things manager Gregg Langbehn. “It kind of carried over from last year, too. He’s a first-round pick for a reason. His confidence level is just off the charts right now. He’s a good table-setter for us. It’s quite an accomplishment.”

Gateway then hit four straight two-out singles off Wild Things starting pitcher Chase Cunningham in the fourth to reduce its deficit to three runs. Cunningham threw 4-plus innings, allowing eight hits and four runs while walking three and not striking out a batter.

The righty didn’t qualify for the win. Davis Adkins (1-0) threw a scoreless fifth, stranding both of Cunningham’s runners, to get credited with the win.

“Chase is our ace,” Harris said. “We know even when he doesn’t have his best stuff that he’s going to go out and compete. If he doesn’t have his best stuff, then he’s going to compete.”

Harris, who leads the Frontier League in home runs and RBI, completed his cycle with a double in a three-run fifth inning for the Wild Things. After Marr led off the inning with a home run, Harris doubled, stole third and scored on a Mick Fennell ground out. Roman Collins capped off the scoring for the Wild Things with a solo homer – the third of the game for Washington.

Game two of the doubleheader couldn’t have been more different than the first game as both starting pitchers were stellar. Washington’s Thomas Dorminy (1-1) threw a six shutout innings in the 1-0 victory. He struck out 10 while allowing only three hits and one base on balls.

“That’s what we expect out of our experienced pitchers,” Langbehn said. “Not six shutout innings, of course, but the biggest thing with Thomas tonight is he threw his pitches with conviction, he worked ahead and he had all the confidence in the world. He put Gateway in defensive mode in every at-bat.”

Dorminy’s impressive outing came off the heels of a tough first start of the season, in which he allowed four runs and eight hits in 2 1/3 innings against Evansville last weekend.

“I felt pretty good today,” Dorminy said. “It’s just baseball. Sometimes stuff doesn’t go your way. I’ve got confidence in everybody in our starting staff. We’re just going to keep going and keep making pitches.”

The only run of the game came on a second-inning single by Reydel Medina to score Carter McEachern, who led off the inning with a hit by pitch. The only two Wild Things hits came in the second inning.

Zach Strecker relieved Dorminy in the seventh, throwing a scoreless inning for his second save.

Notes

The victory in the opener was the 600th in Wild Things manager Gregg Langbehn’s professional career. His 369 Frontier League wins is 10th in league history. … Cunningham was the first Washington starting pitcher to throw a pitch in the fifth inning, as the previous four Wild Things starters totaled 9 2/3 innings pitched. Dorminy became the first Things pitcher to record an out past the fourth inning. … The loss int he opener snapped Gateway’s six-game winning streak at Wild Things Park.