May 24, 2026 By Chris Dugan 4 min read

The Wild Things didn’t exactly smack baseballs all over EQT Park during a doubleheader Saturday night against Joliet.

In the opener, Washington was held to two hits.

In the nightcap, the Wild Things’ offense broke out with all of five hits.

And Washington swept the doubleheader.

That tells you how good the Wild Things’ pitchers were on what turned into a rainy night.

Washington won the opening game in the Frontier League’s sudden death inning, then took advantage of wildness by Joliet pitchers in the nightcap to gain a soggy 11-0 victory.

In the opener, Kobe Foster continued his stellar start to the season by taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning. In the nightcap, Hector Garcia’s first start in his two seasons with the Wild Things was impressive as he fired six shutout innings, allowing only one hit and not issuing a walk.

Those performances came on the heels of a game Thursday night when Washington starter Maddox Long and two relievers combined on a three-hitter in a 1-0 loss to Florence.

Over the last three games, Washington pitchers have allowed hits in only four of 25 innings.

“I wish we would have won all three of them,” Washington manager Tom Vaeth said. “It was nice to see all of those (pitchers) go out and get ahead in the count early and pound the strike zone. Maddox Long, on Thursday night, had a good mix, and today Kobe was Kobe, and Hector Garcia, in his first start, was fabulous.”

Foster retired the first 14 Joliet hitters before issuing a two-out walk in the fifth. He still had a no-hitter in the seventh when Joliet’s Jackson Valera, a 34-year-old designated hitter with a decade of pro experience, led off with a double to the gap in left centerfield.

At that point, the Wild Things were protecting a 1-0 lead. Peyton Carr followed with a flyout to center fielder Caleb Ketchup. Valera attempted to advance to third base, but the relay from Ketchup to shortstop Kyle Edwards to third base was in time to cut down Valera. The play loomed large at inning’s end because three consecutive Joliet singles, the last by Nico Bermeo, tied the score at 1-1.

Foster went 6 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. His ERA actually went up, to 0.42.

“You never take a guy like Kobe for granted,” Vaeth said. “Good left-handed starting pitchers are hard to come by, so you don’t take that guy for granted.”

The game went to the tiebreaker in the eighth and both teams pushed across a run. Washington scored when Edwards advanced Ketchup, the tiebreaker runner, to third with a bunt and Cole Fowler hit an RBI infield single. Fowler had two of Washington’s three hits.

The game went to the sudden death inning tied at 2-2. Washington chose to pitch, which meant Joliet began the inning with a runner on first base. The Slammers needed to score to win, otherwise Washington would be the winner.

Reliever Tyler Davis (1-0), who pitched 2 1/3 innings, retired the first batter in the ninth on a flyout, but the Slammers’ Cam Suto stole second base with one out. Carr then laced a line drive up the middle but second baseman Conner Peek, who was signed Friday, grabbed the ball and stepped on second base to double up Suto and end the game with an unassisted double play.

In the nightcap, Washington took advantage of wildness by Joliet starter Eric Turner (0-1) to score four runs on one hit in the first inning. Turner issued four walks, committed two balks and threw a wild pitch. Fowler had a two-run double in the inning.

The Wild Things broke the game open with a seven-run fifth inning that included only three hits, one a two-run double by Andrew Czech. Joliet pitchers issued 11 walks in the game.

Garcia, who made 40 appearances in relief last year, was dominant in his first pro start. The only baserunner he allowed was a one-out single by Suto in the first inning. He retired the last 17 batters he faced, striking out six.

“We talked in the offseason and he made it known that he wanted to be a starter,” Vaeth pointed out. “I respect that. He was a starter in college and he really wanted an opportunity to start again. He made the most of it today and earned a second start.”

Extra bases

The series concludes Sunday (4:05 p.m.). … Peek was signed after he finished his collegiate career this spring at Georgetown. He spent four years prior to that at Holy Cross. Peek went 1-for-4 with three walks in the doubleheader.