Wild Things battle back, win in sudden death
It was decades ago that former Wild Things public address announcer Bill DiFabio dubbed what is now known as EQT Park as “The House of Thrills.”
Throughout the years, the place has lived up to its billing, but never in its 24 seasons of Frontier League baseball has there been a game played here that had as many late-innings momentum shifts, thrills and unlikely players making game-changing contributions.
For the record, Washington defeated Brockton in the league’s gimmicky sudden-death inning, the 11th, after the game was tied 6-6 at the end of 10.
Washington chose to play the field in the 11th, which began with Brockton having a runner on first base. The Rox needed to score to win. A shutout inning would, and did, give the Wild Things the victory.
But how the game reached this point was anything but routine.
Washington was on the verge of defeat twice – in the ninth and 10th innings. In the bottom of the 10th, after Washington tied it at 6-6, Washington center fielder Caleb Ketchup was called out on strikes by home plate umpire Rudy Bosque, ending the inning. According to the Trackman data, the pitch was below the automated strike zone. Ketchup said something about the third strike call and was quickly ejected by Bosque.
Ketchup’s ejection led to the ejection of Washington manager Tom Vaeth, who was tossed after grabbing the arm of first-base umpire Nicholas Webb.
Washington had used all of its available position players at that point, which meant that if the Wild Things chose to hit in the 11th, then a pitcher would have to replace Ketchup and become the tiebreaker runner at first base.
Washington, however, chose to play the field and inserted Eldridge Armstrong III (1-0) in the game to pitch. He replaced closer Landon Ginn, who had thrown 2.2 innings, his longest outing of the season.
“I had never pitched in one of these types of games,” Armstrong said of the sudden-death scenario.
A week ago, Armstrong had been pitching in something called the Empire League in New York. By late Sunday afternoon, he was trying to prevent Brockton from scoring, and the Rox had Austin White, the league’s leader in stolen bases, at first base as the tiebreaker runner.
“I didn’t expect to be in this situation so quick,” Armstrong said. “This was incredible.
“I was thinking they were going to steal, so I sped up my delivery. They bunted on the first pitch, so after that I just tried to make them hit the pitch I wanted them to hit.”
Brockton’s Keagan Calero put down a sacrifice bunt that moved White to second base. Armstrong then walked Evan Giordano on four pitches, setting up a potential double play, before striking out Rox cleanup hitter Derek Bender. Jack-Thomas Wold then popped out to Cole Fowler at third base to end the game and give the Wild Things a hard-fought victory in one of the best games of the season.
Washington overcame deficits of 5-3 in the eighth, 5-4 in the ninth and 6-5 in the 10th.
In the ninth, Washington was down to its last two outs when Anthony Brocato hit a pinch-hit solo homer that tied the score. The opposite-field blast to right centerfield came off Brockton closer Brendan O’Donnell and tied the score at 5-5. It was Brocato’s league-leading 20th home run.
In the 10th, Brockton took a 6-5 lead when Scott Seeker hit a one-out single up the middle that scored tiebreaker runner Evan Sleight.
Washington tied it in the bottom of the 10th. With Kyle Edwards on second as the tiebreaker runner, Wagner Lagrange put down a perfect sacrifice bunt. Andrew Czech walked on a 3-2 pitch from O’Donnell and Jeff Liquori hit a sacrifice fly to right field.
That left Armstrong to win the game in the 11th and the rookie delivered.
“Good for the kid,” Vaeth said. “He got the outs he needed. Someone had to step up. It was nice to see Brocato step up with his home run and Wagner put down his bunt and Eldridge get three outs.
“That’s what you have to do when you’re not clicking, and we’re not clicking right now. You have to battle and give yourself a chance to win.”
The teams will move to Massachusetts for the final three contests in what is a six-game series that resumes Tuesday morning. The Wednesday game also has a morning start time.
The score was tied 6-6 entering the top of the seventh. Washington reliever Michael Foltz Jr. retired the first two batters he faced before suddenly losing the strike zone. Foltz threw eight consecutive balls to White and Calero to put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Mack Anglin was then brought in to pitch and he walked Giordano on five pitches to load the bases.
Anglin was on the verge of getting out of the jam as he jumped ahead of Bender in the count at 0-2. His third pitch to the Brockton cleanup hitter was far outside and in the turf. Catcher Isaias Quiroz had no chance to block it and it went to the backstop as White scampered home to give the Rox a 4-3 lead.
Washington signed pitcher Ben Kowalski, a 27-year-old righthander from Ottawa, Ill., to start the game. Kowalski, who had a 2-3 record with Kane County in the American Association this year, went six innings and allowed three runs (two earned). He became the 10th different Washington pitcher to have a quality start (at least six innings pitched and no more than three earned runs allowed).
The Wild Things couldn’t take advantage of Kowalski’s efforts. They gave up an unearned run in the third inning when a throwing error by shortstop Kyle Edwards allowed the speedy White to score from second base.
Kowalski gave up solo home runs to Giordano in the first inning and Kretzler in the fourth. It was Kretzler’s third home run in as many games.
Liquori hit a two-run homer in the second inning off Brockton starter Jimmy Gilleran.
Extra bases
Brockton batters did not strike out in a 14-7 win over the Wild Things Saturday night. Rox hitters struck out 14 times Sunday. … Washington was held to eight hits, including two each by Lagrange, Czech and Liquori.