Sep 12, 2021 3 min read

Much of the suspense from Sunday’s game evaporated before the first pitch was thrown.

The Washington Wild Things found out that their first-round opponent in the upcoming playoffs was going to be Quebec. The message came well before their 5:30 p.m. start.

Quebec wrapped up the Atlantic Division earlier in the day with an 11-7 victory over Sussex County.

Quebec will visit Wild Things Park Tuesday and Wednesday, then host Washington in three games over the weekend.

Normally, the home field advantage would go to the team with the better record, Washington, but Wild Things Park was scheduled to have two concerts over the weekend, making it unavailable for baseball.

The Schaumburg Boomers travel to the Florence Yalls in the other Frontier League playoff match-up.

Oh yeah, Washington polished off Tri-City, 10-4, last night to finish the regular season with a 56-40 record, third best in the league.

“It didn’t change anything for us,” said Washington manager Tom Vaeth. “We knew what we needed to do. We knew what we wanted to get accomplished today.”

That would be keep the bats swinging and the pitchers throwing strikes, and Washington accomplished both those things.

Washington pounded out 13 hits and enjoyed a four-run fifth and a three-run eighth inning. That also included a home run by Tristen Peterson in the fifth, his third of the season.

“I think it changed what they did and how they played the game,” Vaeth said of Tri-City, which finished two games behind Quebec for the Atlantic Division championship.

Washington struck early, scoring two runs in the first inning on a single by outfielder Bralin Jackson that scored shortstop Nick Ward, who opened the inning with a book-rule double down the left field line.

Jackson scored when Grant Heyman hit a double down the first base line. The ball landed in foul territory but the umpire ruled it crossed the base in fair territory. Tri-City manager Pete Incaviglia came out for an explanation but didn’t get into a big argument over the call.

Tri-City tied it when Zach Biermann sent an Alex Boshers pitch over the right field fence on an 0-1 count. Juan Silverio had singled just ahead of Biermann’s home run.

“We knew coming out we would play our best baseball,” said Washington first baseman Andrew Czech, who went 3 for 4, drove in a run and scored twice. “We had a lot of good things happen tonight, a lot of great things.”

Washington blew the game open in the four-run fifth inning. Besides Peterson’s rare home run, second baseman Scott Dubrule drove in two of his three runs with a double.

With one out in the eighth, Washington strung a single by Cam Phelts and catcher Trevor Casanova, a double by Peterson and a single by Czech. That produced three runs and a six-run lead.

“We’ve definitely progressed as a team,” said Czech. “Our pitching, our hitting has all gotten better. We’re on the right foot heading into Quebec.”

Notes: Attendance was 2,389 on Halloween Night. … Tri-City designated hitter Denis Phipps was ejected after Tri-City batted in the second inning. Phipps got into a yelling match with the third base umpire and was thrown out of the game; Phipps tossed a batting helmet and bat toward the third base bag but it didn’t strike anyone.