Washington Grabs Early Lead, Stays on Gas in Win at Gateway
SAUGET, Il. (May 31) - After scoring four runs in the first inning of Friday's series opener at Gateway, the Wild Things continued to pour it on, ultimately winning 10-5 to open the series with a win.
Washington plated four in the first, highlighted by scoring plays from four batters. Shaine Hughes lifted a sacrifice fly for the first of his two RBI on the night, Hector Roa doubled home a run and Mick Fennell doubled home a pair. The Wild Things got a fifth run in the second, when Hughes singled home a run to extend the lead.
Gateway scored the next three, plating a trio in the bottom of the third before the teams traded runs in the fourth. Entering the sixth, Washington led 6-4, before in the next two frames extending the lead to 10-4. In the sixth, JJ Fernandez had a sac fly and Hughes scored on a wild pitch. Wander Franco hit his second two-run homer in as many nights in the seventh.
The Grizzlies got a run against Zach Strecker in the ninth but that was it.
The Wild Things received multi-hit efforts from Saige Jenco (2-for-6), Franco (3-for-5), Hughes (2-for-3) and Roa (3-for-5), while Franco, Roa, Hughes and Fennell drove home two tallies.
AJ Bogucki pitched 3.1 in his Wild Things' debut, as he begins to stretch out pitch-count wise after making nine appearances from the pen for Potomac in High-A ball this season. BJ Sabol got the win after 2.2 innings of scoreless baseball and Jesus Balaguer tossed two scoreless with three punchouts.
The Wild Things, with a win tomorrow, would win back-to-back games for the first time and a series for the first time in 2019. Saturday's middle game at the Grizzlies is slated for 8:05 p.m. ET from Sauget, Illinois.
