Wilder hits walk-off single for Wild Things
Ethan Wilder was eight spots in the batting order away from getting to home plate in the bottom of the ninth inning Wednesday, so you have to excuse the infielder if he thought his night was over and he became a spectator.
What Wilder watched was Washington put together a stirring comeback in the rain and wind.
“I didn’t even realize I was on deck until about two batters before I was up,” Wilder said.
When it did become Wilder’s turn to bat – with the bases loaded, two outs and the score tied at 4-4 – the rookie out of Lander University in South Carolina was prepared, especially for a cutter.
Wilder hit the second offering from Evansville reliever Michael McAvene to deep right field for a game-winning single as the Wild Things scored three runs in the ninth for an improbable 5-4 victory.
It was Washington’s seventh consecutive win and one of their best of the season. It also was manager Tom Vaeth’s 200th win with Washington.
Evansville took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, and it required contributions from what seemed like everybody on the roster for the Wild Things to complete a comeback.
Tyreque Reed led off the inning with a single up the middle and moved to third base when Andrew Czech followed with a double to the wall in right field. Brandon McIlwain then hit a slow roller to shortstop and the throw to first base bounced in the turf as McIlwain crossed the bag safely. Reed scored on the play and the Otters’ lead was cut to 4-3 as Czech held at second base.
After a strikeout and a passed ball, pinch-hitter Jalen Miller, who was activated earlier in the day and was playing in his first game of the year, hit a bouncer up the middle against a drawn-infield that Otters shortstop Delvin Zinn snagged and fired to home plate in time to retire pinch-runner Carson Clowers.
With two outs, J.C. Santini hit a grounder up the middle that Zinn grabbed behind second-base bag but was unable to get the sliding Miller at second base or Santini going to first. A wild pitch moved up Miller and Santini, and Caleb McNeely, the only Wild Things position player voted to the all-star game, was intentionally walked to load the bases and bring up Wilder.
“I didn’t know the scouting report on (McAvene),” Wilder explained. “The first pitch to me was a 91 mph cutter. The next one was the same pitch and I was ready for it.”
Wilder hit a drive deep to right field and through the gusting winds. Evansville’s Mason White turned and sprinted back for the ball but overran it. The ball hit the warning track behind White.
“Never quitting has been a trait of ours all year,” Vaeth said. “Even nights when things didn’t work out for us, those guys have given me a solid effort.”
“Tyreque found a way to give us the leadoff guy on base. That’s the key when you need a ninth-inning comeback. Czech follows with a big at-bat, J.C. puts the ball in play. Jalen Miller, one of the reasons I pursued him so hard in the offseason was his speed and he beats the infielder to the base. All of those things were big parts.”
None bigger than Wilder’s hit.
“That’s what we were told about him when he came out of Lander. He has a good approach and gets the barrel to the ball,” Vaeth said.
The comeback made Gyeongju Kim (3-2), who pitched the top of the ninth, the winner. Kobe Foster allowed four runs over six innings but he struck out 10 and didn’t issue a walk. Brendan Nail and Christian James each threw a scoreless inning of relief.
Evansville led 2-0 in the first inning and 4-0 in the sixth. Zinn and Gary Mattis, the 1-2 hitters in the Otters’ lineup, went a combined 7-for-9 with three runs. Otters starting pitcher Zach Smith was very good, allowing only four hits and two runs over six innings.
Washington scored twice in the sixth after two outs. Wilder singled and Tommy Caufield tripled to deep left centerfield and scored when the throw back to the infield got away for an error.
Extra bases
There were 23 strikeouts and no unintentional walks in the game. … The Wild Things put outfielder Wagner Lagrange on the 7-day injured list, retroactive to Monday, with a groin injury and activated Miller from the 14-day list. Miller, a former third-round draft pick, suffered a broken hamate bone when hit by a pitch during spring training and underwent surgery. He returned Monday to Washington to complete his rehab and wasn’t expected to be activated until after the all-star break next week. … Washington is at 23 active players, one under the league limit. … Evansville has stolen nine bases over the first two games of the series.