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Wild Things get much-needed victory

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The Wild Things and Lake Erie Crushers, the Frontier League’s Bruised Brothers, each limped into town Friday having lost eight of their last 10 games. So this weekend’s three-game set could be called the Get Well Series. One team will win the series and build some much-needed momentum.

Washington took the first step toward a series victory by winning the opener, 6-2, before a Fireworks Night crowd of 2,915, the largest of the season.

Pitcher Spencer Johnston (2-2) gave the Wild Things a rare quality start – only their third in 19 games – by allowing two runs over seven impressive innings. Johnston, who was acquired in a trade with Joliet in the offseason, gave up three hits and two walks. He struck out a season-high nine.

Most importantly, he gave much of the Wild Things’ bullpen a needed night off.

“He needed to do that for us,” Washington manager Tom Vaeth said.

“I knew we needed depth because those guys in the bullpen have been overworked,” Johnston said.

Christian James followed Johnston on the mound and inherited a 4-2 lead in the eighth. Lukas Young pitched the ninth.

Washington catcher Melvin Novoa hit a tiebreaking solo home run in the fourth inning and designated hitter Tristan Peterson capped a big night with a game-clinching two-run homer in the eighth. Peterson also hit two doubles.

“This is Tristan’s third year in the league. He needs to play like that,” Vaeth said. “The thing about Tristan is he’s never had a chance to be an everyday player. I was interested in seeing how he would respond to that and so far he’s gotten the job done.”

Novoa’s home run gave Washington a 3-2 lead in the fourth. It came off Lake Erie starter Matt Mulhearn (2-1), who gave up four runs over six innings after entering with a 1.23 ERA over four starts.

First baseman Andrew Czech drove in a pair of runs and second baseman Scotty Dubrule scored a run and added a sacrifice fly.

“No question that was the best game we’ve played in a couple of weeks,” Vaeth said. “We pitched well, got timely hitting and some big fly balls. It was a nice job tonight.”

Lake Erie took a 1-0 lead three batters into the game when Crushers right fielder Jake Harris hit a Johnston changeup for a home run over the centerfield wall.

Washington answered with two runs in the bottom of the first with both scoring a two-out single by Czech.

Lake Erie tied it at 2-2 in the third, taking advantage of Todd Isaacs reaching base on a strikeout/wild pitch. He came around to score when Jarrod Watkins followed with a double.

Novoa put Washington ahead on his home run to left centerfield in the fourth. In the fifth, Nick Gotta hit a triple to straightaway centerfield and scored on a fly ball by Dubrule.

Peterson’s two-run homer came off Lake Erie reliever Perry Bewley.

Injury report

Washington played its second consecutive game without right fielder Anthony Brocato, who was hit in the hand by a pitch Wednesday at Florence. The pitch caused a gash that required stitches.

Vaeth also said that pitcher Kobe Foster (2-0, 1.29) will not start against Lake Erie. His next outing will be pushed back until Tuesday at New Jersey. Foster left his start at Florence Tuesday after five innings because of what Vaeth described as “to use the hockey term, it’s an upper body injury.”

Vaeth said Foster felt something out of the ordinary while throwing one of his final pitches in the fifth inning, and the Wild Things decided to shut him down after he went back to the mound to warm up in the sixth.

Notes

The game was delayed for 14 minutes between the fourth and fifth innings when home plate umpire Mario Seneca, a Washington native, left the game with what the Wild Things said were concussion-like symptoms. Third-base umpire Robert Reitz moved behind the plate for the remainder of the game, which was finished with only two umpires.

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