Fregio strong as Wild Things win at Joliet
JOLIET, Ill. – Dariel Fregio struck out eight over 6 2/3 innings, Tommy Caufield homered and the Wild Things defeated Joliet 5-2 Wednesday morning for Washington’s fourth consecutive win.
The Wild Things (45-22) entered Wednesday night with the best record in the Frontier League and a 5½-game lead over second-place Gateway in the West Division.
Fregio (8-2) allowed six hits and two runs. He left with a 3-2 lead.
Washington, which won the series opener 5-3 Tuesday night, broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth inning when Caufield singled, advanced to third on a double by Jalen Miller and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Tyreque Reed.
The Wild Things added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth. Brandon McIlwain started the inning with a double into the right-field corner and scored when J.C. Santini’s sacrifice bunt was thrown away for an error. A sacrifice fly by Carson Clowers scored Robert Chayka with the final run.
Alex Carrillo pitched the ninth inning for Washington for his first save.
Caufield hit his 10th home run in the third inning to tie the score at 1-1. Washington moved ahead 2-1 in the fourth on an RBI single by Chayka that scored Reed. The Slammers made it 2-2 in the fourth on the second RBI hit by Adam Pottinger.
Caufield, Miller and Caleb McNeely each had two hits.