Jun 28, 2026 By Chris Dugan 4 min read

The members of the front office staff and those who work at EQT Park must feel like the Wild Things spent the entire month of June at home.

The schedule shows that Washington played “only” 20 times at home this month, including eight games in the last six days, a stretch that ended Sunday with a 10-9 walk-off victory over Joliet in a game that seemed as if it lasted an entire month.

Washington had a 14-6 record in the 20 home games, which was good enough to give them a two-game lead over Evansville in the Frontier League’s Central Division.

It was Washington’s first walk-off victory of the season and gives it some momentum heading into a key nine-game road trip that begins Tuesday at Evansville. The Wild Things overcame a five-run deficit and split the four-game series with the Slammers.

The score was tied 9-9 entering the bottom of the ninth. Washington’s Kyle Edwards led off with a single off the glove of diving Joliet third baseman Peyton Carr. Edwards was bunted to second base by Isaias Quiroz. One out later, Antonio Monroy laced a single to center field off Joliet’s Carlos Soto (0-1) and Edwards raced home to easily score the game-winning run.

The game lasted 3 hours and 49 minutes, the longest nine-inning game played by the Wild Things this season. It included 26 hits and 20 walks.

Anthony Brocato had a big game for the Wild Things, hitting two home runs and driving in four. Michael Foltz Jr. (2-0) pitched a scoreless ninth inning to get credited with the win.

Brocato gave Washington a 2-0 lead in the first inning when he homered down the left-field foul line. Andrew Czech was hit with the next pitch. Czech flipped his bat high into the air, then he and Joliet pitcher Eric Turner began yelling at one another and the umpires had to get between them but order was quickly restored.

Washington starter Michael O’Hanlon had a short and out-of-control outing. He walked five of the first nine Joliet hitters, then gave up a two-run single to Ian Battipaglia and an RBI single to Tyler Cerny that put Joliet up 3-2 in the second inning.

Battipaglia had an RBI single in Joliet’s two-run third against reliever Colt Anderson that made it a 5-2 score. Billy Sullivan, the No. 9 hitter in the lineup, made it 7-2 with a two-run double in the fifth.

Brocato hit his second two-run homer of the game in the bottom of the fifth. It was Brocato’s 14th home run of the season, his third in two days and the 102nd of his Frontier League career, moving him into sole possession of second place on the league’s all-time list. Charlie Lisk, who played for Gateway, Windy City and River City from 2006-2012, is the all-time leader with 127 home runs.

Later in the fifth, Caleb Ketchup hit two-run homer that chased Turner and Cole Fowler followed with a line-drive homer to left field off reliever Greyson Linderman that tied the game at 7-7. It was Washington’s third home run of the inning.

Washington went ahead 8-7 before the fifth ended as Edwards walked, moved up on a single by Benjamin Rosengard and scored on a wild pitch.

Joliet tied it in the sixth, the Wild Things went up 9-8 in the bottom of the inning when Ketchup walked stole second base and scored on a single by Edwards, but the Slammers’ Cam Suto hit the first pitch from Will Rettig in the eighth for a home run that made it 9-9.

Extra bases

Every Washington batter had at least one hit. … Over the weekend, Washington signed starting pitcher Esteban Rodriguez and reliever Shuto Okumura, activated Brocato and Rosengard from the injured list, released first baseman Hunter Stokely and placed outfielder Ryan Ford on the 7-day IL. … In the eight games in the homestand, Czech reached base safely 19 times. … Washington pitchers issued at least one walk in 22 of the 33 innings in the Joliet series.