The Washington Wild Things used a late game one rally to produce a walk-off win and ignite a fire under their bats in game two to sweep the doubleheader against the Frontier Greys at CONSOLE Energy Park, 6-5 and 7-2.
In game one, CJ Beatty would pick up right where he left off Saturday night and Quincy Latimore would produce a three-run walk-off blast. The two combined for all six runs that the Wild Things put up on the scoreboard, each knocking in three runs.
Greys’ starter Jonathan Kountis came into the game being known for his skills as a closer, but he did a fine job of keeping the Wild Things at bay in the first 5.0 innings of the game. Kountis sat seven Wild Things walking back to the bench on strikeouts and gave up three runs in his short outing.
The Greys scored first on a Blake Bergeron triple in the top of the first. They would add another run on another triple in the top of the third courtesy of Justin Vasquez. The Greys would later add two more runs before the Wild Things even got on the board in the bottom of the 5th, but the Things made that inning count.
With two runners on, CJ Beatty sent a three-run shot, his 14th of the season, to bring his team within one.
After the Greys put another run up in the top of the 6th, the Wild Things found themselves down by two going into the final frame of the game.
After a walk and a two-out single, Latimore found himself at the plate needing one swing to end the game. With an 0-2 count, Latimore took the fourth pitch he saw and sent it sailing over the outfield wall and trotted the bases in celebratory fashion.
Matt Phillips picked up the win for the Wild Things after pitching 1.1 perfect innings after starter Gary Lee threw 5.2 innings. Lee allowed 5 runs, 3 earned, walking none and striking out four.
In game two, Washington got things started off in the bottom of the second inning.
After two walks to lead off the inning, Stewart Ijames hit a bases clearing double to put his team up 2-0. AJ Nunziato would drive him in on the next play after an error by the Greys third baseman. The Wild Things would tack on one more run before the inning was over, taking a 4-0 lead.
The Wild Things didn’t stop there, as they added the final three runs in the very next inning.
Nunziato smacked an RBI double, scoring Beatty and Ijames who singled earlier in the inning. Matt Mirabal would single and score Nunziato before the inning was over, and that’s all she wrote.
The Greys scattered six hits and two runs, one earned, off of Wild Things starter Dan Goldstein during his 5.0 innings of work, but they would never be able to catch the Wild Things.
Goldstein picked up the win, his first with Washington.
Ijames went 2-2 with 2 RBI and Nunziato went 2-3 with 2 RBI in the victory.
The Wild Things are off Monday and Tuesday and will resume action on Wednesday against the Joliet Slammers at 7:05 from CONSOLE Energy Park.
Photo Credit: Washington Wild Things
