Wild Things win, just like old times
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter Wild Things’ Jamal Austin, right, scores and slaps teammates Jimmy Yezzo hand during a game against Florence Freedom Friday, July 1 at Consol Energy Park.
Wild Things’ Grant Fink breaks his bat as he hits a single against the Florence Freedom Friday at Consol Energy Park.
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-Reporter Wild Things' Justin Fox makes the tag at 2nd base on Florence Freedom's Austin Newell during a game at Consol Energy Park on Friday, July 1 at Consol Energy Park.
For one night, at least, it was like old times at Consol Energy Park.
There was a sellout crowd – the first of the season – that was loud and engaged in the game on Fireworks Night. And most important, there was some of that late-innings magic that was the trademark of the early days in the Wild Things’ 15-year history.
There were plenty of Washington wins in those days that left you asking, “How did that happen?”
This was that kind of game.
The Wild Things edged the Florence Freedom, 4-3, by scoring the tiebreaking run in the bottom of the eighth inning when Jimmy Yezzo, a 205-pound first baseman, tried to bunt for a hit and Kyle Pollock, a guy who began the night with a .160 batting average, delivered his second hit of the game.
Yezzo led off the eighth against Florence sidearming relief pitcher Davis Adkins (2-1) with the score tied 3-3. The Freedom employed a strong infield shift against the left-handed hitting Yezzo with shortstop Travis Weaver positioned on the right-field side of second base and third baseman Taylor Oldham playing where the shortstop is typically positioned.
Yezzo tried to take advantage of the shift by bunting away from it, attempting to push the ball up the third-base line.
“We had talked to Yezzo about bunting against the shift,” Washington manager Gregg Langbehn said. “If nobody was on base, and the opportunity was there, then he had the opportunity to do it.”
When asked when he last attempted to bunt for a base hit, Yezzo said, “Probably … never.”
It looked like Yezzo hadn’t done much bunting. The bunt was a bad one, rolling only a few feet in front of the batter’s box and was fielded by Florence catcher Garrett Vail, but it couldn’t have ended any better for the Wild Things.
Vail’s throw sailed over the head of first baseman Jordan Brower, rolled down the right-field line and into the corner. Yezzo hustled all the way to third base on the three-base error. He almost was stranded there as Adkins, a true rookie, got a popout and strikeout for the first two outs of the inning.
However, Pollock, the Wild Things catcher who spent a large chunk of the season on the disabled list and was only 4-for-25 going into the game, stroked a solid two-out single to left field to drive in Yezzo and make it 4-3. Pollock also singled in the fourth inning and raised his batting average 47 points.
“In all fairness, Kyle has missed six weeks,” Langbehn said. “He was going to be our everyday catcher. He’s starting to get more traction. That batting average, I know, wasn’t because of a lack of effort.”
The Wild Things still had to navigate a sticky situation in the top of the ninth inning to secure the win. Starter Luke Wilkins (2-1) pitched eight innings and was replaced by Kolin Stanley to begin the ninth. Two walks and a wild pitch, mixed with a groundout, gave Florence runners on first and third with one out.
Langbehn again went to his bullpen, this time for lefty Devon Davis, who faced only one batter. Davis got pinch-hitter Collins Cuthrell to bounce into a game-ending double play, much to the delight of the packed house.
“It gets loud in this park,” said Langbehn, who is in his first season with the Wild Things. “It’s nice to have a crowd like that.”
That crowd liked that Washington had two leads early in the game. The Wild Things scored twice in the bottom of the first against Florence starter Patrick McGrath, once on a throwing error and the other on an RBI single by Yezzo. Right fielder David Popkins gave Washington a 3-2 lead when he led off the fourth with his fifth home run of the season.
Florence, however, made it 3-3 in the fifth when Andre Mecurio tripled off the right-field wall and scored on a groundout by Daniel Fraga.
Washington had a golden opportunity to take the lead in the seventh when it had runners on first and third with no outs. That’s when Adkins replaced McGrath and wiggled out of the jam with a strikeout and two popouts.
“It’s always fun to play in front of a big crowd, with everyone cheering, and get a win,” Yezzo said.
The start of the game was delayed 19 minutes because of rain. … Florence had two players in the starting lineup who are former Wild Things. Left fielder Josh Henderson played five games late in the 2014 season but did not have the option of his contract picked up during the offseason. Oldham played 32 games for Washington in 2012 before being one of four players traded to the London Rippers less than an hour before that team ceased operations and was replaced by the Road Warriors. … Florence has scored the first run in each of its last 10 games.