Wild Things can’t put away Y’alls; series goes to Game 3
What works during the regular season usually carries over into the postseason.
The Wild Things won the Frontier League’s Central Division title and top seed in the Midwest Conference playoffs by combining strong starting pitching with plenty of production from the middle of their batting order.
They got both again Friday night, but this is the playoffs, a time when nothing seems to ever go right for the Wild Things, and often in some of the most puzzling ways. It did so again on this night.
Florence made the most of only four hits and rallied from a three-run deficit to beat the Wild Things 6-5 in Game 2 of a best-of-3 wild-card series at EQT Park.
The decisive Game 3 will be played at 7:05 tonight. Kelvin Perez (6-3, 3.86) will pitch for Washington. Florence has not announced its starting pitcher.
Jeff Liquori, the No. 5 hitter in the Washington lineup, drove in four runs with a pair of two-run singles, which gave Washington a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning.
Florence, however, hit a pair of home runs off Washington starter Kobe Foster to close to within 4-3, then won the game by scoring three times in the eighth against the Wild Things’ bullpen.
“We’re pretty resilient,” Florence manager Toby Hall said. “Everybody believes in each other and we’ve built a really good culture. We got rid of the ones who didn’t want to be part of that culture.”
The two home runs were the only hits allowed by Foster, the Frontier League’s Pitcher of the Year, over seven innings. He did not walk a batter but hit three and struck out nine. Brett Blomquist’s two-run homer in the sixth followed a hit batsman.
Mack Anglin replaced Foster in the eighth and the Washington lead unraveled quickly. Anglin faced three batters and failed to get an out. Two walks and a double to right field by Blomquist tied the score at 4-4.
Washington went to its bullpen again and Ben Kowalski replaced Anglin. The first batter Kowalski faced, Hank Zeisler, singled through the left side of the infield to give the Y’alls a 5-4 lead. It was the Y’alls’ only single of the game. Florence tacked on an insurance run when Blomquist scored as Zade Richardson bounced into a double play.
Florence took the 6-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth and Washington’s Andrew Czech, the Frontier League MVP, hit a two-out opposite-field homer off Florence closer Aiden McEvoy, but that’s all the Wild Things could muster.
“Their bullpen threw better than we did,” Washington manager Tom Vaeth said. “We put too many guys on base for free.”
Washington outhit Florence 11-4, but the Wild Things hit into two double plays and had one baserunner caught stealing on a hit-and-run.
“Great pitching, timely hitting and great defense. Those things will typically win you a game,” Hall said.
The game started well for the Wild Things as they scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning off Florence starter Jonaiker Villalobos. After Villalobos retired the first two Washington hitters, Czech singled under the glove of Zeisler at first base. Anthony Brocato then lined a ball off the left-field wall but Florence’s Milo Rushford played it well and his throw back into the infield held Czech at third base as Brocato slid into second with a double.
Liquori then blooped a fly ball, as high as it was far, into shallow center field that dropped between two charging Florence fielders, enabling Czech and Brocato to score and give Washington a 2-0 lead.
Foster took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, but his second pitch of the frame was sent over the wall in right centerfield for a home run by Rushford, cutting the Wild Things’ lead in half. It was the first run Florence scored against Foster since July of last year. He had thrown 20 consecutive scoreless innings against the Y’alls this season.
Washington loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth against Florence righthander Nathan Lawson, who replaced Villalobos in the fourth. Kyle Edwards hit a one-out single, Miles Simington followed with a walk and Brocato was hit a pitch.
Liquori then lined a pitch into left field. Rushford had a pull up and play the ball on a hop, allowing both Edwards and Simington to score and give the Wild Things a 4-1 advantage.
Foster started the sixth by hitting Brendan Bobo with a pitch for the second time in the game, and Blomquist, the Frontier League Rookie of the Year, followed with a two-run homer off the scoreboard beyond left centerfield and the Y’alls were suddenly back to within a run.
“All year, the schedule is based on three-game series. All year, we’ve won a lot of three-game series. That’s what we’ll come to do (Saturday) night,” Vaeth said.
“It’s hard to put a team away. We’ve talked about that all year. When you have a team down, you have to put them away. But it is hard. There’s pride over there (Florence’s clubhouse) just like I know there is in here. I’m confident in this group.”
Extra bases
CJ Blowers, the third of five Florence pitchers, was the winner with one shutout inning. … Washington is 7-0 against Florence at Thomas More Stadium but only 3-4 at EQT Park. … Wild Things pitchers combined to issue three walks and hit four batters. … All three teams that won Game 1 on the road Wednesday lost Game 2 at home. Evansville won at Schaumburg in the other Midwest Conference series. New York evened its Atlantic Conference series by winning at Quebec. New Jersey and Ottawa will play Game 2 Saturday night.