Wild Things hang on for win in Florence
FLORENCE, Ky. — If the fans that attended the Florence-Washington game at Thomas More Stadium Friday night liked to see offense, they went home happy and the Y’alls and Wild Things combined for 14 runs and 23 hits.
Washington was able to pull out an 8-6 victory to improve to a Frontier-League best 36-18, which is 1 1⁄2 games ahead of Lake Erie (35-30) in the West Division. Quebec leads the East at 35-20.
Florence opened the scoring in the first inning when Hank Zeisler singled home Alberti Chavez to score an unearned run.
Washington responded with five runs in the second and two in the third for a 7-1 lead.
Carson Clowers and Robert Chayka scored on J.C. Santini’s single to center field to give the Wild Things a one-run advantage in the second before Santini scored on Ethan Wilder’s home run to right field for a 4-1 lead.
Tommy Caufield scored on Andrew Czech’s sacrifice fly to left for a four-run advantage heading into the bottom of the second.
Evan Berkey hit a solo homer to left field to increase Washington’s lead to 6-1 and Caufield singled home Santini to extend the Wild Things’ lead to six.
Florence scored its five runs on five hits to cut the deficit to 7-6 in the fifth.
Justin Lavey scored on Chavez’s double and Blaze O’Saben touched home plate when Brian Fuentes reached on a fielder’s choice. Fuentes scored when Stephen Hrustich was hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded before Ed Johnson’s double scored T.J. Reeves and Zeisler.
Caleb McNeely’s solo home run in the sixth pushed Washington’s advantage to 8-6.
Neither team scored in the final three innings.
The Wild Things’ Nick MacDonald came on in the sixth inning and retired nine batters in a row before closer Gyeongju Kim threw a 1-2-3 ninth for his 14th save.
Jordan DiValerio earned the win to improve to 5-2 after yielding six runs (five earned) on 10 hits through five. He struck out four and walked one.