May 24, 2024 By Chris Dugan 4 min read

Fans will tell you they love home runs and high-scoring games, but the baseball purists say you win with pitching and defense. The Wild Things had plenty of the latter in their series against Evansville.

Dariel Fregio took a shutout into the ninth inning Thursday night, and the Washington infield turned two double plays and took away several potential hits with stellar defensive plays as the Wild Things extended their winning streak to eight games with a 5-2 victory over the Evansville Otters.

“Pitching and defense,” Washington manager Tom Vaeth said, “that’s how you win a lot. You lose a lot when you don’t have those two things.”

Washington swept the three-game series and gave up only six runs in the process. Two of those scored in the final inning of the series.

Fregio (1-1) threw Washington’s first nine-inning complete game of the season. He took a four-hit shutout into the ninth before giving up three consecutive hits and two runs.

With activity in the Washington bullpen, Fregio ended the game by getting Donivan Williams to bounce into a game-ending double play.

Fregio finished with a seven-hitter. He walked only one and struck out nine.

“I told him that it’s too bad that I’m a bad manager. I should have let him come out after the eighth inning with a clean sheet,” Vaeth said. “He earned the opportunity to try for a complete-game shutout.”

Fregio finished the game despite it being delayed by rain for 56 minutes in the bottom of the fourth inning. Vaeth said there was never any doubt that Fregio would return to the mound after the delay.

“He felt fine and was throwing the ball really well,” Vaeth said.

It’s easy to feel good when the defense behind you is turning in plays like the Wild Things’ infielders were. Second baseman Evan Berkey dove to snag a ground ball in the third inning and rob Austin Bost of a hit. An inning later, first baseman Tyreque Reed dove to his left to rob Evansville’s Jake Green of extra bases.

The best defensive play came in the sixth when shortstop Carson Clowers went far to his left, dove and snagged a grounder hit up the middle by David Mendham. Clowers shuffled the ball with his glove to Berkey at second base and the relay throw to Reed completed an inning-ending double play.

“We can cover the field,” Vaeth said. “That turf is worn down and it gets fast, so you better be able to cover the field. We hit some balls in this series that (Evansville) didn’t get to. We were able to get to the same balls that they hit.”

Evansville didn’t get to a double that Caleb McNeely hit for an RBI double down the left-field line in the third inning off Otters starter Parker Brahms (1-2). McNeely scored on Carson Clowers’ hit-and-run single that made the score 2-0.

Tommy Caufield, who had a big series for Washington, singled in the fourth inning and stole second base. That’s when the game was stopped because of rain. When play resumed, J.C. Santini drove in Caufield with a single.

Caufield, who went 6-for-10 with seven RBI in the series, hit a two-run homer to left field that made it 5-0.

The Otters avoided the shutout in the ninth when Bost hit a one-out double and scored on a triple by Mendham.

Extra bases

The Fort Cherry football team that won the school’s first WPIAL championship and played in the PIAA final was recognized prior to the game. Rangers head coach Tanner Garry threw out the ceremonial first pitch. … Prior to the game, Evansville center fielder Patrick Lee had his contract purchased by the Detroit Tigers. Lee homered Wednesday for Evansville’s lone run in a 2-1 loss.