With a second consecutive series sweep in mind, the Washington Wild Things were on a mission. Unfortunately after winning five straight games, though, the Wild Things flames were extinguished with an 8-5 loss to Rockford Sunday at CONSOLE Energy Park.
Washington (5-4) fell behind early in the second inning when the Aviators scored two runs on four hits. The Wild Things would fall even further behind when Kyle Dhanani drove in his second run of the game and later came around to score in the top of the fourth. After Carter Bell scored in the bottom half of the frame, Washington was still faced with an uphill battle., trailing, 4-1.
And then in the fifth, the Aviators would put things out of reach with a four-run inning, making the score 8-1.
Washington wouldn’t quit, though, as CJ Beatty hit a two-run shot in the fifth and Max Garrett blasted a two-run home run of his own in the eighth to bring the Things within three runs.
The Wild Things would go down one, two, three in the final inning, however, to seal the deal with Rockford escaping the series sweep.
Scott Dunn (1-1) suffered the loss for Washington after pitching 4.0 innings, allowing six runs on nine hits while striking out three. Garrett led the way at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Earlier in the series, Washington beat Rockford, 7-2 and 9-3.
In the first game of the series, the Wild Things offense came quick and early. Washington took a 5-0 lead by the third inning on the bat of CJ Beatty, Ryan Kresky and Jim Vahalik. Kresky would finish 2-for-4 with three RBIs on the day, all coming via a three-run home run in the third inning. Chris Phelan (1-1) picked up his first win after pitching 6.0 innings, giving up two runs on four hits while striking out three.
In Saturday’s game, kept their offense hot by racking up 10 hits and nine runs on the day. Trailing 2-0, Washington tied the game with a two-run shot from Beatty. Trailing again heading into the bottom half of the seventh inning, Washington batted around and scored seven runs to gain a resounding victory. Beatty and William Beckwith each went 2-for-3 and each drove in two runs. One-time Pittsburgh Pirate Zac Feusser (1-0) picked up the win after coming in in relief, pitching 2.2 innings, allowing no hits and striking out three.
The Wild Things are back in action Tuesday as they travel to take on the Joliet Slammers for a three-game series. Tuesday’s game begins at 5:05 p.m. while Wednesday and Thursday’s games are slated for 8:05 p.m.
Photo Credit: Washington Wild Things Facebook page
