Timely hitting key in Wild Things’ victory
The big red lights on the scoreboard at Wild Things Park showed that the Windy City ThunderBolts had 13 base hits Friday night. The Wild Things, meanwhile, generated only five hits.
Sometimes it’s more about the quality and distance of the hits than it is about the quantity. This was one such instance.
Catcher J.C. Santini and center fielder Caleb McNeely each hit long home runs in the third inning and Washington went on to a 4-3 victory, extending its winning streak to three games.
Four Washington pitchers worked in and out of trouble. Zach Kirby (5-4) was the starter and went 5 2/3 innings, allowing nine hits and two runs. He was followed on the mound by Brendan Nail, Justin Goossen-Brown and Christian James. The latter came on to work out of a tight spot in the eighth inning and pitched the ninth for his second save.
James, who entered with the potential tying run on second base and one out, struck out all five batters he faced.
Santini led off the bottom of the third inning with his second home run of the season, a no-doubter to left field off Windy City starter Will Armbruester (2-5), who went five innings.
Carson Clowers followed Santini in the batting order and he was hit on the hand by Armbruester’s next pitch. That brought McNeely to the plate and he belted a 3-2 pitch far and high over the wall in left field for a two-run homer, giving Washington a 3-1 lead.
For McNeely, who was voted to the all-star game as a reserve for the West Division, it was his 11th home run of the season to tie him for the league lead. The former West Virginia University standout leads the Frontier League with 51 RBI.
Windy City closed to within 3-2 in the fifth when Dorighi, who was 3-for-4, led off the inning with a solo home run to right field. It was Dorighi’s second home run of the season.
Washington made it a two-run cushion again in the bottom of the inning. Santini led off with a single and moved to third when Carson Clowers followed with a double deep to left centerfield
The Wild Things, however, could score only Santini, that coming on a sacrifice fly to center field by McNeely.
Windy City used three singles, the last by Christian Kuzemka, to score a run in the eighth, but that’s when James was called upon from the bullpen and he ended the ThunderBolts’ uprising.
Extra bases
Prior to the game, Washington placed relief pitcher Ryan Munoz (2-0, 3.12) on the 7-day injured list and traded outfielder Quincy Latimore, who was on the inactive list, to High Point of the Atlantic League for a player to be named later. Munoz is the 12th different Washington player to land on the IL. … Dariel Fregio (5-2, 6.35) is listed as the Wild Things’ starting pitcher for Saturday night, which would require the righthander to be activated off the injured list.