Wild Things hit the road with loss
The Wild Things begin a series in Crestwood, Ill., tonight against the Windy City ThunderBolts. It will be the start of a six-game road trip, which should be good news for Washington.
The road is where the Wild Things have done their best work this season, winning 10 of 12 series and 26 of 35 games.
Winning at home has sometimes been a struggle for the Wild Things, especially in series finales played on Thursday nights.
Florence catcher Serio Gutierrez drove in four runs and third baseman Brian Fuentes homered as the Y’alls defeated Washington 6-2 in a series finale Thursday. Florence won the final two contests in the three-game set as Washington’s record dropped to 3-4 in Thursday home games.
With the score 2-1 in the seventh, Gutierrez hit a two-run double that gave the Y’alls some margin for error. Florence was leading 4-2 in eighth when Gutierrez struck the key hit, a bases-loaded two-run two-out single that was blooped into shallow center field.
Gutierrez was 5-for-11 in the series with two home runs and six RBI.
The Y’alls scored four runs over the final three innings against the Washington bullpen.
Florence took a 1-0 lead three batters into the game when Fuentes hit a home run off Washington starter Malik Barrington (5-4). It was Fuentes’ ninth homer of the season. The Y’alls homered in all three games of the series.
Florence made it 2-0 in the second. T.J. Reeves led off with a single and moved to third base on a one-out double to left centerfield by Zade Richardson. A wild pitch allowed Reeves to race home with the game’s second run.
Florence starter Jonaiker Villalobos (4-6), who entered the game with an opponent’s batting average of a whopping .322, stymied the Wild Things’ lineup for six innings. The lefty gave up five hits and one walk. He struck out four.
The only run Washington scored off Villalobos came when Brandon McIlwain hit a solo home run to the angle at right centerfield – the deepest part of the ballpark – in the fourth inning. It was McIlwain’s sixth home run in 28 games with Washington and trimmed Florence’s lead to 2-1.
Florence went up 4-1 in the seventh against Washington reliever Marlon Perez, taking advantage of a Washington throwing error. Richardson followed the error with a double and Gutierrez, the No. 8 hitter in the Florence lineup, smacked a two-run double to right centerfield.
The Wild Things scored one run in the seventh without the benefit of a hit. The inning included an odd play. After Robert Chayka and Jalen Miller each walked, Tommy Caufield struck out, but the ball eluded Gutierrez’s grasp. Gutierrexz picked up the baseball and his throw to first base in an attempt to retire Caufield glanced off the Washington third baseman’s helmet and bounced into right field, allowing Chayka to score and trim the deficit to 4-2.
The momentum didn’t last as reliever Brendan Nail walked the first two batters he faced in the eighth and then hit Reeves to load the bases. Nail struck out the next two batters but Gutierrez dropped the key two-run single into center field.
Extra bases
Villalobos was pitching for the seventh time in his career against the Wild Things and had a 6.53 ERA against them. … Washington will conclude its upcoming road trip with three games in Joliet. … Florence has won five of its last six series and pulled to within five games of a playoff spot. … Barrington pitched four innings, allowing three hits and two runs. He walked two and struck out five.