On breast cancer awareness night, the Washington Wild Things weren’t able to pick up a win in their bright pink uniforms. After a great comeback effort Saturday night, the Wild Things dropped Sunday’s contest to the Normal Cornbelters, 5-3.
Newcomer from Bucknell University, Dan Goldstein, just joined the team and took the hill for the Wild Things, but couldn’t manage to hold the Cornbelters, despite a 1-0 lead after the first inning.
Goldstein pitched a perfect 1st inning, getting two ground balls and a flyout to get out of the inning unscathed. In the bottom half of the inning, Stewart Ijames hit a solo shot on just the fourth pitch he saw from Luis Noel. The solo shot was a laser beam over the left field wall to put the Wild Things up 1-0. The hit would be one of only two that Noel would give up during his 7.0 innings of work.
Roles were reversed in the second inning, as the Cornbelters scattered three hits and scored a run on a walk and three singles to start the inning. The Cornbelters would go on to load the bases but Goldstein was able to get out of the inning with minimal damage. Normal would add another run in the third inning on a bases loaded walk before the Wild Things would get back on the board.
The Wild Things, doing the exact same thing they did in the first inning, put another run up off of a Shain Stoner solo shot in the top of the 5th.
Things would get sticky for the Things in the top of the 6th when Goldstein nailed leadoff hitter Ryan Lashley. Two batters later Lashley would be driven in on a triple that was nearly caught by outfielder Darian Sandford. With a runner on third and the Things down 3-2, Goldstein’s first start was over. Matt Phillips came in in relief and allowed one run before getting out of the inning, charging Goldstein with his fourth run of the game as the Cornbelters took a 4-2 lead.
The Cornbelters added another run in the top of the 7th on a two out single, and then the Wild Things found themselves in a familiar position.
The comeback attempt took off in the bottom of the 7th inning for Washington. Designated hitter Mark Samuelson started the inning off with a walk before Stoner got on base after being hit by a pitch. Two batters later, Samuelson scored on a Mario Mercedes’ fielder’s choice. The Wild Things would send six batters to the plate in the bottom of the 8th and 9th combined and none of them would reach base.
Stoner and Ijames registered the only two hits for the Wild Things, both solo shots.
The two will face off again tomorrow at 7:05 from CONSOLE Energy Park. Shawn Sanford will take the mound for the Wild Things against Michael Schweiss for the Cornbelters.
Photo Credit: Washington Wild Things
