FL Washington Wild Things

Wild Things Pull Out Win in Extra Innings

Published on June 8, 2010 under Frontier League (FL)
Washington Wild Things News Release


Washington, Pa. - Gateway starting pitcher John Flanagan struck out 10 batters and Gateway erased two deficits in the game, but the Washington Wild Things, presented by Washington Financial, scored a run on a successful suicide squeeze by Billy O'Conner in the bottom of the 10th to defeat the Grizzlies, 5-4, at CONSOL Energy Park Tuesday night.

Gateway tied the game up in the top of the ninth with two outs when Brandon Peters bombed a 2-2 offering from Eryk McConnell over the right field fence to tie the game at 5 apiece.

With one out in the bottom of the 10th, Luis Rivera singled for his first hit of the game in his fifth plate appearance to chase Gateway reliever Eric Gilliland out of the game. David Miller entered the game and surrendered a single to Denny Duron that pushed Rivera to third.

O'Conner stepped to bat having gone 2-for-4 to that point with two singles to right field. He laid down a bunt on the first pitch he saw from Miller to the right side in front of the mound. Miller dove to his left to field the ball but could not get the throw to home quick enough as Rivera slid in safely to give the Wild Things the win and snap their five-game losing skid.

Flanagan allowed three runs in the first inning when the first four Wild Things to bat - Chris Sidick, Michael Parker, Mark McGonigle and Adam Amar - all reached base safely, capped by a 2-RBI single by Amar to give the Wild Things a 3-0 lead.

Gateway chipped away at the lead when Logan Parker hit a sacrifice fly to right scoring Bobby Burk to make it 3-1 in the third inning.

The Grizzlies kept at it in the fourth, tying the game on a Tyler Heil 2-RBI single, his first RBIs of the 2010 season.

But the Wild Things didn't allow the Grizzlies hang around for too long. Washington strung together four straight two-out singles started by Billy O'Conner and Chris Raniere in the bottom of the fourth.

Sidick stepped up with runners on second and third and dropped a drag bunt between the first baseman, second baseman and pitcher for an infield single and an RBI, scoring O'Conner. Parker then came up and drove in Raniere for a 5-3 Washington lead.

Gateway's Charlie Lisk hit a home run to deep left center field to bring the Grizzlies within one at 5-4 in the eighth inning before Gateway tied it in the ninth. O'Conner's three hits led the Wild Things. Peters led Gateway with three hits, one run and one RBI.

The win is Washington's seventh of the season. The Wild Things are 7-9. Gateway falls to 10-7.

The Wild Things take on Gateway in game two of the three-game series Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. at CONSOL Energy Park. Zach Groh will take the mound for the Wild Things against Tim Clubb of Gateway. Pregame coverage starts at 6:55 p.m. on WJPA 95.3 FM. Tickets are available at the box office, on the team website or by calling 866-456-WILD.

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Frontier League Stories from June 8, 2010


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