Evansville gets jump on Wild Things
For the first three months of the Frontier League season, the Wild Things played like a well-oiled machine that was hitting on all cylinders.
Over the last week, the Wild Things seem to be leaking oil.
Jon Ponder led off the game with a home run and four Evansville pitchers combined on a five-hitter as the Otters won the opening game in a key series, 4-1, Tuesday night at EQT Park.
The loss was Washington’s fifth in eight games and allowed Evansville to pull within four games of the first-place Wild Things in the Central Division standings. That is the closest any team has been to Washington in the standings since July 12.
“We just have to keep grinding it out,” said first baseman Andrew Czech, who provided Washington’s lone run with a solo homer. “I thought we played decent ball tonight and played good defense. We’d have two outs with guys on base, and put balls in play but they were outs.”
Washington’s offensive production was limited to a 422-foot solo home run to right field by Czech in the sixth inning off reliever Dylan Zentko (1-2) that cut Evansville’s lead to 3-1.
Evansville starter Joan Gonzalez, who played for the Otters last year but spent much of this year in the Mexican League, was signed by the Otters at the Frontier League’s transactions deadline Monday. He threw four shutout innings and struck out seven.
“He threw well for us last year,” Evansville manager Andy McCauley said. “He threw some good games down the stretch.”
Washington hitters struck out 13 times.
Ponder led off the game by hitting a 2-0 pitch from Zach Kirby (6-1) down the left-field line for his seventh home run of the season.
“Jon Ponder never ceases to amaze me,” McCauley said. “He’s probably played more games this year than he ever has. He started it by playing in the Caribbean World Series. That leadoff homer tonight was a big spark. He’s a dynamic player and I hope he gets a chance to play somewhere in affiliated ball.”
Evansville made it 2-0 in the second inning when the Otters began the inning with three consecutive hits. Blake Robertson doubled off the centerfield wall, former Wild Things outfielder LG Castillo singled and Chris Kwitzer lined a single to left field that scored Robertson.
An uncharacteristic three walks by Kirby in the fifth helped Evansville build its lead to 3-0. The only hit of the inning was a single by Ponder. A bases-loaded walk to Marcos Gonzalez scored Sam Linscott, who led off with a free pass.
The three walks in the inning matched Kirby’s season high for a game. He went six innings, scattering eight hits.
“Kirby’s stuff is dirty,” McCauley said, “but we were fortunate, he didn’t have his best stuff.”
Evansville pushed its lead to 4-1 in the seventh, scoring against Washington’s bullpen. Castillo had an RBI single that scored Amani Jones, who started the inning with an infield single.
When Evansville played at EQT Park two weeks, the Otters were eight games out of first place and battling Florence for the first wild-card spot. The Otters have cut the gap to the Wild Things in half.
“We can see the top,” McCauley said.
Extra bases
Czech’s home run was his 500th career hit and 111th homer. … The season series between the Wild Things and Otters is tied 5-5 with two games remaining. … The bottom three hitters in Washington’s lineup were a combined 0-for-10 with seven strikeouts and a walk. … Washington right fielder Miles Simington, who was signed Monday, went 0-for-4 in his Wild Things debut but made a fantastic sliding catch in foul territory on a fly ball hit by Castillo. It came one batter after shortstop Kyle Edwards made a diving catch behind second base and threw out Blake Robertson at first base. … Windy City’s walk-off win over Schaumburg keeps Washington’s magic number for making the playoffs at 6.