Foul loss: Joliet tops Wild Things to tie series
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Wild Things pitcher Chase Cunningham was 7-6 last season and set Washington’s career record for innings pitched.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Joliet’s Ridge Hoopii-Haslam slides safely into home plate as Washington catcher Kyle Pollock fields a late throw Wednesday during Game 2 of the Frontier League championship series at Wild Things Park.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter
Washington’s Ryan Cox rounds third base Wednesday night after hitting a home run during Game 2 of the Frontier League championship series against Joliet.
Wild Things’ Reydel Medina makes the out at first against Joliet Slammers’ London Lindley during the Frontier League championship series at Wild Things Park Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018.
There is not much of a difference between the Wild Things and Joliet Slammers this year.
Both Washington and Joliet won 54 games – the most in the Frontier League – and advanced to the best-of-5 championship series.
The difference between the Wild Things and Slammers Wednesday night in Game 2 was inches.
That’s inches, as in the distance between Dom Iero’s long fly ball down the right-field line in the bottom of the ninth inning and the tall yellow foul pole.
Iero hit a ball off Joliet closer Isaac Sanchez deep and high down the right-field line that appeared it could be a game-tying two-out, two-run homer.
As it carried over the foul pole and into the parking lot behind the outfield wall, the ball was hooking toward foul territory. The pitchers in Washington’s bullpen, which is located down the right-field line at Wild Things Park, began jumping up and down and celebrating as the ball carried over the outfield wall.
All eyes in the ballpark focused on home-plate umpire Jim Schaly, who had walked halfway to first base and was to make the call of either fair or foul
Foul ball.
On the next pitch, Iero, who briefly protested the call of foul ball, was called out on strikes to end the game as Joliet held on for a 3-1 victory that evened the series at 1-1.
“I thought it was a home run, clear as day,” Iero said. “Once it crosses over the foul pole, it’s supposed to be a home run. Then it hooked foul.”
It would have been Iero’s second home run of the game and third of the series. Not bad for a guy who hits in the No. 9 spot in the batting order and was released earlier this season by, of all teams, Joliet.
“That’s pesky Dom Iero for you,” Joliet manager Jeff Isom said. “I hated facing Dom in the ninth inning because he’s swinging a hot bat. We didn’t want to release him, but with our situation with Danny Zardon at third base there weren’t a lot of opportunities for him with us. We knew he could hit.”
Iero’s solo home run in the fifth inning was the only run the Wild Things scored. Washington was held to only five hits by Joliet starter Scot Hoffman and relievers Cody Clark and Sanchez.
Joliet, meanwhile, scored two unearned runs off Washington starter Chase Cunningham, taking advantage of an error by second baseman Carter McEachern in the third inning for the game’s first run and a leadoff walk, passed ball and two fly balls to push its lead to 2-0 in the fourth.
“We gifted them two runs. That was the difference,” Washington manager Gregg Langbehn said.
The Slammers’ first two runs scored on sacrifice flies, by Zardon and Chaz Meadows. In the fifth, L.J. Kalawaia had a two-out single and scored when Zardon rolled a double inside third-base bag and into the left-field corner to make it 3-0.
Cunningham gave up three hits, three walks and three runs (one earned) over six innings.
“Chase was overthrowing initially but he settled in,” Langbehn said. “He kept us in the game. You just can’t give them extra outs.”
Iero’s home run, which scraped off the yellow tubing at the top of the right-field wall, gave Washington a much-needed spark but the Wild Things never got the offense firing. They had a great chance to tie the score in the eighth when James Harris, who was 2-for-3, led off with a single off Sanchez and Roman Collins followed with a walk.
Sanchez, however, struck out Reydel Medina and Hector Roa before McEachern flied out to end the inning.
In the ninth, Ryan Cox hit a one-out single and was at second base with two outs when Iero stepped to the plate.
Game 3 is Friday night at Joliet Route 66 Stadium with Washington sending Michael Austin (3-3, 4.08) to the mound. The Slammers will counter with their ace, Liam O’Sullivan (11-4, 3.15), who pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings Sunday in Game 5 of the first-round series against River City.
“I don’t know if that gives us the advantage or not,” Isom said. “I know I like having Liam on the mound because he gives us a great chance to win every time out.
Extra bases
Washington was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. … Games 3 and 4 will be played in Joliet. If Game 5 is necessary, it will be played Monday at Wild Things Park.