Wild Things’ bats silent in loss to Evansville
The Wild Things’ offense is officially struggling.
Washington won the first two games of its weekend series against Evansville by getting stellar shutout pitching and making the most out of little while batting.
In the series final Sunday, Washington’s pitching and fielding broke down and its hitting continued to generate scant scoring opportunities. The result was a 10-1 victory for Evansville that prevented the Wild Things from sweeping the series.
Washington manager Tom Vaeth wasn’t happy with his hitters after the first two games in the series, so you can imagine his frustration after this one that matched the most lopsided loss of the season. The Wild Things were held to five hits.
“We just have to show up tomorrow and try to be better. There are a few times over the course of a season that a team has bad stretches,” Vaeth said. “This is the way it was back in ’22 right before the playoffs.
‘The guys have to get hot, swing at better pitches and have better at-bats. Right now we’re not generating much offensively outside of Jeff Liquori.”
The good news is Washington took two of three games in the series and lead the Central Division by seven games over both Evansville and Florence with 24 remaining in the regular season.
Washington begins a six-game series at Mississippi on Tuesday night.
Evansville took a 1-0 in the first inning when the Otters failed to execute a safety squeeze play and Washington botched the ensuing rundown. It was all downhill from there for the Wild Things.
With Jon Ponder at third base and one out, Logan Brown put down the safety squeeze directly in front of home plate. Washington catcher Isaias Quiroz fielded the bunt and Ponder would have been an easy out if he continued an attempt to score. Instead, the Evansville leadoff hitter stopped and attempted to scramble back to third base.
Instead of throwing the ball to third base, Quiroz tried to chase down Ponder, who is one of the fastest players in the Frontier League. Quiroz attempted to make a diving tag on Ponder but missed. Meanwhile, Brown headed to second base. Quiroz got up and made a throw to second but the ball skipped away, allowing Ponder to race home with the game’s initial run.
It was Evansville’s first run in the series. The Otters were shut out Friday and Saturday.
“We needed a win,” Evansville manager Andy McCauley said. “Florence has been on fire.”
Evansville scored three runs on three hits and a walk in the third off Washington starter Jack Brodsky (3-2). Marcos Gonzales drove in one run with a single and former Wild Thing LG Castillo had a two-run single up the middle that made the score 4-0.
Brodsky went five innings, giving up seven hits and four runs.
Evansville scored three runs in the seventh off reliever Branden Noriega and three more in the eighth. In the seventh, Rutherford and Pierce both homered. Pierce’s was a 438-foot blast that came off the bat at 110 miles per hour.
Evansville starter Ryan Wiltse (6-4) stymied the Wild Things for six innings. Wiltse, who gave up 10 runs to Washington in 2.2 innings in a game back in June, allowed only four hits this time. He walked one and struck out four.
“Wiltse worked out of some jams early against a stout lineup,” McCauley said.
The Wild Things had a couple of scoring chances against Wiltse. They loaded the bases with two outs in the first inning, and put runners on second and third with one out in the third, but couldn’t deliver a run-scoring hit.
Washington avoided the shutout in the ninety when Wagner Lagrange led off with a double and came around to score on an error and an RBI groundout by Connor Peek.
Extra bases
Liquori had two of Washington’s five hits. … Washington went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position in the game and 3-for-20 in the series. … Washington’s Kyle Edwards started the game in center field and pitched the top of the ninth. He threw a scoreless inning. It was Edwards’ third pitching stint this year and fourth in his career. He has a 0.00 ERA. … Shortstop TJ Salvaggio, the No. 9 hitter in the Otters’ lineup, went 3-for-3 and reached base safely five times. … The Frontier League’s transactions deadline is Monday, Aug. 17.