Wild Things move back into 1st place
AUGUSTA, N.J. – Andrew Czech went 4-for-5 and scored three times, Jordan DiValerio continued his mastery of Sussex County and the Wild Things defeated the Miners 9-2 Friday night.
The Washington win, combined with Evansville’s 1-0 victory at Lake Erie, moved the Wild Things back into first place in the Central Division. Washington leads Lake Erie by a half game.
The Wild Things used a pair of big innings to beat Sussex County, the East Division’s first-place team. Washington took a 3-0 lead in the fourth inning against Rob Hensey (5-3) and sealed the win with a four-run seventh.
DiValerio (7-3), who threw a two-hit shutout against Sussex County last year, yielded four hits and one run over six innings for his fourth consecutive quality start. He struck out six.
Jeff Liquori had three hits and scored twice for Washington. Czech had a pair of RBI doubles, one in the third and one in the seventh.
Rookie second baseman Eddie Hacopian, one of three players Washington signed during the all-star break, had two hits, drove in a run and scored one during his debut.