Wild Things score in 9th to win, move back into 1st place
PEARL, Miss. – Robert Chayka hit a tiebreaking two-out double in the ninth inning, Jordan DiValerio pitched six stellar frames and the Wild Things snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the Mississippi Mud Monsters 3-2 Saturday night.
Washington also moved back into first place in the Frontier League’s Central Division as Gateway defeated Lake Erie, 7-5. That left the Wild Things with a half-game lead over the Crushers.
The game was tied 2-2 heading to the ninth and Mississippi reliever Michael Fowler (0-1) retired the first two batters of the inning. Washington catcher Three Hillier delivered a two-out single to keep the inning going and Chayka followed with his run-scoring double that gave the Wild Things a 3-2 lead.
DiValerio (6-2) scattered seven hits and walked only one. He struck out four.
Reliever Andrew Herbert pitched ninth and retired all three hitters he faced for his sixth save.
Mississippi took a 1-0 lead in the first inning but Washington moved ahead 2-1 in the sixth. The Wild Things had four consecutive singles and were helped by an errant pickoff throw by Mud Monsters starter Tyree Thompson. Tyreque Reed, a Mississippi native, and Andrew Czech had RBI singles.
Mississippi tied it 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth when Kyle Booker hit a leadoff triple and scored on a single by Travis Holt.
Washington had eight hits, including two by Czech.