Wild Things can’t stop sliding, lose to Otters
Over the course of a 102-game season, every Frontier League team will have a rough stretch. The Wild Things are in the midst of one and at the worst possible time.
Garret Simpson and three relievers combined on a seven-hitter as Evansville defeated the Wild Things 6-3 Wednesday night at EQT Park.
The loss extends Washington’s losing streak to a season-high four games. The Wild Things have dropped six of their last nine.
The Evansville win cuts Washington’s lead to three games in the Frontier League’s Central Division. The gap was eight games on Aug. 9.
There are 16 games remaining in the regular season, including tonight’s series finale.
One thing that can be said about Simpson (7-2), Evansville’s starting pitcher, is he learns from his mistakes. In his only start against Washington this year, Simpson yielded five home runs in the opening game of a doubleheader back on May 13.
In this outing, the righthander pitched six shutout innings, giving up only two hits, both by Miles Simington. Simpson kept the ball down in the strike zone this time and retired 15 of 16 Washington hitters at one stretch, seven on ground balls.
Just as it did in the series opener Tuesday night, Evansville scored the game’s first run in the top of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Jon Ponder drew a walk off Washington starter Kenten Egbert (1-1) and stole second base. Ponder moved to third when Amani Jones flied out to right field and scored when catcher Logan Brown hit a double that rolled to the wall in left field.
Evansville loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth inning when LG Castillo drew a leadoff walk, Chris Kwitzer hit a book-rule double and former Serra Catholic High School standout Mark Black walked. The Otters managed only one run in the inning, Castillo scoring when TJ Salvagio grounded into a double play, making it a 2-0 game.
Evansville knocked Egbert out of the game in the sixth by scoring two runs. The Otters got their leadoff hitter on base again as Blake Robertson walked. The Otters had their leadoff batter reach base safely in eight of the nine innings in the game and 13 of the 18 innings in the series.
Robertson moved to third base on a one-out single by Kwitzer. Black brought home Robertson with a sacrifice fly and Salvagio, the no. 9 hitter in the Otters’ lineup, smacked an RBI double that made it 4-0 and sparked Egbert’s exit.
Egbert gave up seven hits, four walks and four runs in 5 2/3 innings.
Third baseman Marcos Gonzalez hit a two-run homer off the scoreboard in the seventh to stretch the Evansville lead to 6-0. Gonzalez’s 11th homer of the season came off reliever Michael O’Hanlon, who entered the game with a crazy pitching split. His ERA at home while with Washington was 10.80 but only 1.15 in road games.
Washington ended the shutout bid in the seventh as Kyle Edwards had a one-out single, stole second base and scored on a bloop single to left field by Simington, who went 3-for-4.
The Wild Things made it interesting in the ninth when Wagner Lagrange and Kyle Edwards had run-scoring singles that cut Evansville’s lead to 6-3. The Otters brought in closer Junior Cerda with two outs and he struck out pinch-hitter Billy Sullivan to end the game and get his league-leading 17th save.
Extra bases
Evansville leads the season series 6-5. … Ponder exited the game with an injury in the top of the second inning. … This is the closest Evansville has been to first place since July 9. … Washington first baseman Andrew Czech went 0-for-4, ending his 25-game on-base streak.