Caufield Collects Five Hits to Match Franchise Single Game Record in Loss
SAUGET, Il. (July 3) – In a sweep-clinching loss at Arsenal BG Ballpark, 6-4 to Gateway, Washington third baseman Tommy Caufield collected five hits, becoming the first Wild Thing since Hector Roa on June 2, 2019, to achieve the feat in a single game. Caufield homered in the first inning and collected four singles in his next four trips in defeat.
Caufield’s solo homer was his fifth of the season in the first and gave Washington a fifth-straight game scoring in the first inning. At 1-0 heading to the third, Washington grabbed three more, collecting two on a two-run single by Tyreque Reed and another on an RBI double by Andrew Czech, which brought the Washington lead to 4-0.
Gateway scored once in the third and four times in the fourth, helped by two hit by pitches and scored on a bunch of weak contact against Sebastian Rodriguez, but the runs count the same. From innings four through seven, Washington had its leadoff runner on twice. Both were erased on double plays. In total, Washington had three runners caught stealing and a runner picked off to go with three ground ball double plays in the loss.
Even still, Andrew Czech doubled to lead the eighth off and went to third on a sacrifice fielder’s choice bunt by Ethan Wilder, giving the Wild Things their biggest chance of the game with runners at first and third and nobody out. A strike him out, throw him out double play of Morton and Wilder, respectively, led to a strikeout of Cael Chatham and Washington came up empty.
With two outs in the ninth, Jeff Liquori singled and Caufield grounded a ball through for his fifth hit. They’d both advance on a wild pitch, but Reed struck out to end the game.
It’s the first time Washington has lost three in a row this season and its Central Division lead over Lake Erie is down to 0.5 games. The longest road trip of the season continues tomorrow with the holiday series opener tomorrow evening in Pearl, Mississippi. First pitch tomorrow is scheduled for 7:30/6:30 p.m. CT. Kobe Foster will take the ball for Washington.
