Wild Things get creative to earn doubleheader split
Because of two rainouts earlier in the season that have been rescheduled for this week, the Wild Things are playing eight games in this current six-day homestand.
Add in the Wild Things lost starting pitcher Hector Garcia to the Toronto Blue Jays organization last week and the homestand was sure to cause Washington to be creative with its pitching staff to cover all the innings.
On Wednesday night, during a doubleheader split with Windy City, that creativeness was using a starting pitcher for three innings in relief and then having the franchise’s winningest pitcher work one inning for his first career save.
That’s what the Wild Things had to do to pull out a 7-6 win in the second game and salvage the split.
Maddox Long (4-1), a starting pitcher, struck out four over three innings and Kobe Foster pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning to earn a save as Washington overcame an early four-run deficit to rally for the win.
Windy City, the West Division leader, won the opener, 9-4.
“Sometimes, situations dictate things for you,” Washington manager Tom Vaeth said. “We’re playing eight games in six days. I’m just trying to cover innings. Instead of Kobe throwing his 20-25 pitch bullpen session, he had the opportunity to get his first pro save.
“It’s all hands on deck this week. We’re not as good of a roster than we were a few weeks ago.”
After winning the opening game, Windy City took advantage of two Washington errors in the first inning of the nightcap to take a 1-0 lead, then added four runs in the top of the second against starter Michael O’Hanlon to forge a 5-1 lead.
Ryan Ford hit a long solo home run in the third inning and Washington grabbed a 6-5 lead by scoring four times in the fourth. A fielding error and three consecutive walks, the last drawn by Andrew Czech, pushed across the go-ahead run.
Long replaced O’Hanlon in the fourth. The rookie right-hander pitched three innings, but he yielded three consecutive hits to start the fifth as Windy City tied the score on an RBI single by Justin Fogel.
The Wild Things scored the game-winner in the sixth. Collin Helms led off with a single against Windy City reliever Zach Cameron ( 1-1). Jeff Sabater entered as a pinch-runner and he advanced to third on a perfectly executed hit-and-run by Connor Peek, who slapped a single through the vacated hole on the right side of the infield.
“people were telling me that hit-and-run was a great call. The credit goes to the kid who executed it, Connor Peek,” Vaeth said. “9Sabater) came in and did his job. Those guys executed the play.”
Ford gave Washington the lead when he singled home Sabater. Ford went 3-for-3 with three runs and two RBI.
Foster pitched the seventh inning. It was only the third relief appearance of his five-year professional career.
“In doubleheaders, 99.9 percent of the time one of the games will be a bullpen game. We’re fortunate that we got a split because we had two bullpen games,” Vaeth said. “If you want to be a good team, then you have to find ways to get wins by any means necessary.”
The Wild Things signed a pitcher, right-hander Will Rettig, who played for Division III national champion Denison, to start the opening game of the doubleheader.
The 6-5 Rettig, who played at Denison for coach and Washington native Mike Deegan, didn’t have the kind of start the Wild Things needed. He walked the first three batters he faced, gave up five runs in two innings, which included a two-run homer by Carlos Pena, and West Division leader Windy City beat the Wild Things, 9-4.
Rettig (0-1) had a 12-2 record for Denison and walked only 22 batters in 95.2 innings. After Rettig walked the first three batters in his pro debut, Windy City drove all three in with a fielder’s choice, sacrifice fly by Victor Cerny and an RBI single by Daryl Ruiz.
Washington answered with two runs in the bottom of the first against Windy City starter A.J. Campbell (5-1). Sabater doubled down the left-field line, Caleb Ketchup walked and Andrew Czech dropped a broken-bat single into left centerfield to load the bases. Jeff Liquori then rolled a ball down the right-field line that was ticketed for extra bases before it hit the first-base umpire in the foot and stayed in the infield. Liquori was safe at first base and Sabater and the hustling Ketchup scored on the play to cut the deficit to 3-2.
Windy City scored in each of the first five innings to forge a 9-4 lead. Pena hit his home run in the second, Liam McArthur had an RBI double in the third, Cerny smacked a two-run homer off Jack Brodsky in the fourth and the Washington reliever issued a bases-loaded walk in the fifth.
Cole Fowler drove in a run with a double in the third for Washington and Ketchup added an RBI single in fourth, but the Wild Things didn’t generate enough offense to fuel a comeback. They were limited to only six hits against Campbell and lefty reliever Matt Bohnert. Campbell struck out seven over five innings.
Washington’s pitching staff entered the day as the only one in the Frontier League to issue fewer than 100 walks on the season. The Wild Things had issued only 88 free passes — 130 less than Lake Erie had allowed — but walked 10 ThunderBolts, including Pena four times. Only two of the walks came around to score.
Extra bases
It was the fourth doubleheader Windy City has played among its 39 games. … Windy City hitters went the first 14 2/3 innings in the series without striking out. … Brodsky threw 76 pitches in his three innings. … The series concludes tonight at 7:05. Zander Sechrist (2-3, 5.76) is scheduled to start for Washington against Windy City’s Blake Nettleton (0-1, 8.56). … Washington will play a doubleheader Saturday against Joliet. … Washington did not have to release a player to sign Rettig because it was playing one player under the 25-man limit.