Wild Things rally in 8th, win with 3-run homers
A few weeks ago, Wild Things manager Tom Vaeth, while discussing his team’s offense, said it was not built for the three-run homer.
For one night, the Wild Things proved their manager’s analysis to be wrong and it led to perhaps the best win of the season.
Washington scored six runs in the bottom of the eighth inning – on a pair of three-run homers – and rallied to beat the Mississippi Mud Monsters 8-6 Saturday night at EQT Park.
The win enabled Washington to trim its magic number for making the playoffs to 3 with seven games remaining. Any combination of Washington wins and Mississippi losses put the Wild Things into the postseason. The Wild Things and Mud Monsters will play the series finale Sunday (5:35 p.m.).
Washington also closed to within two games of first-place Lake Erie in the Central Division.
Mississippi led 5-1 in the seventh inning and 5-2 in the eighth.
Jeff Liquori started the bottom of the eighth with a single and Ethan Wilder followed with a double. Tyreque Reed, a Mississippi native, then hit a game-tying three-run homer off Mud Monsters reliever Braden Forsyth (1-1). It was Reed’s 13th homer of the season.
Andrew Czech and Pavin Parks then drew consecutive walks, prompting Mississippi to bring in Chris Barraza from the bullpen. He struck out the first batter he faced, but rookie Cole Fowler followed with a three-run homer that put the Wild Things up 8-5. It was part of a four-RBI night for Fowler.
Mississippi scored one run in the ninth and had the bases loaded but Hector Garcia was able to secure his third save in a 31-pitch inning.
Andrew Herbert (6-2) was the winning pitcher with one scoreless inning of relief.