Wild Things sweep Slammers
JOLIET, Ill. – Andrew Czech homered, Wagner Lagrange and Ethan Wilder each drove in a pair of runs and the Wild Things extended their winning streak to five games with a 7-4 victory over Joliet on Thursday night.
Washington (46-22) swept the three-game series. The Wild Things lead the Frontier League’s West Division by five games over second-place Gateway and eight over slumping Lake Erie. The Wild Things begin a three-game series at home Friday night against Sussex County.
Washington scored the game’s first five runs, which made a winner of Wild Things starter Kobe Foster (7-1), who gave up eight hits and four runs over seven innings. Foster walked one and struck out seven, snapping his streak of five consecutive double-digit strikeout games.
Lagrange hit an RBI single and Wilder added a sacrifice fly in the first inning.
Washington made it 3-0 in the second when Tommy Caufield doubled off Joliet starter Brett Sanchez (4-4) to score Ricardo Sanchez.
Lagrange and Czech hit consecutive RBI singles in the fifth inning as the Wild Things’ lead grew to 5-0.
Joliet pushed across two runs on three hits in the bottom of the fifth.
Washington made it 6-2 when Czech homered to right field in the seventh inning. It was Czech’s 13th home run of the season and the 57th of his career, which ties him with Jacob Dempsey (2008-10) for second place on the Wild Things’ all-time list.
Joliet’s Matt Warkentin hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh that pulled the Slammers to within 6-4, but Wilder delivered an RBI single that scored Jalen Miller in the ninth.
Brendan Nail pitched the eighth inning and Gyeongju Kim tossed the ninth for his league-leading 18th save.