Lake Erie Error in Bottom of 10th Propels Washington to 51st Victory of the Season
WASHINGTON, Pa. (August 26) - With two outs and men on first and third in the bottom of the 10th inning in a 3-3 game, second baseman Carter McEachern hit a swinging bunt to Lake Erie catcher Mason Brown. Brown skipped the throw to first baseman Doug Trimble, who couldn’t field the ball cleanly, allowing left fielder Roman Collins to cross the plate for a 4-3 Wild Things’ walk-off victory.
With the win, Washington’s magic number to clinch a playoff berth is down to three games, while the magic number to clinch the East Division title is down to six games.
Lake Erie (46-44) jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when Brown roped a single to right field and then advanced to third on an error. The error allowed center fielder Dalton Wheat to score to give the Crushers a 1-0 lead.
The Crushers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth when Wheat drove in second baseman Derek Perry on an RBI single to increase their lead.
Washington (51-39) cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the fourth inning when first baseman Reydel Medina crossed home on a wild pitch to bring the Wild Things to within a run, 2-1.
Designated hitter Chase Simmons tied the score at two in the fourth when he drove home second baseman Carter McEachern on an RBI single. However, Lake Erie regained the lead in the top of the sixth when right fielder Zach Racusin drove in Brown on an RBI single to create a 3-2 game in favor of the Crushers.
Washington tied the game once again in the bottom of the eighth inning. After Medina reached on a single and stole second and third, he raced home on a wild pitch to tie the game at three.
The game entered extra innings after a scoreless ninth inning. Lake Erie went scoreless in their half of the tenth, opening the door for Washington.
Collins led off the inning with an infield single to second base. A few batters later, with Collins standing on third with two outs, McEachern came up and was able to deliver by forcing a bad throw from Brown to give the Wild Things the 4-3 win.
Zach Strecker (6-4) threw two innings in his winning effort. He allowed just one hit, struck out one and did not allow a run.
Louis Cohen (4-1) suffered his first loss of the season for Lake Erie. He threw 1.2 innings while allowing one hit and one run, which was not earned. He walked two batters and struck out two.
Medina led the Wild Things offensively, collecting three hits and stealing three bases in the contest. Simmons had the lone RBI in the contest for Washington.
The Wild Things will be back in action Tuesday in Schaumburg against the Boomers. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.
