Aug 10, 2017 4 min read

Here is an alarming and dangerous fact for the Wild Things, who with 22 games remaining the season are trying to play catchup and gain a Frontier League playoff berth: They still have six games remaining against the first-place Schaumburg Boomers, who are lapping the field in the East Division.

Schaumburg completed a three-game series sweep of the Wild Things with a 10-4 victory Thursday night. The win was the Boomers’ season-best seventh in a row and league-best 53rd of the season. Washington has lost five in a row but the good news for the Wild Things is they did not lose ground in the wild-card race and remain a half-game behind Windy City for the final postseason spot.

The Boomers and Wild Things will meet for a midweek series each of the next two weeks, and Washington pitchers will have to do a better job in those games than they did Wednesday and Thursday, when Schaumburg scored 19 runs over the final 17 innings.

Of course, a timely hit or two with runners in scoring position would have helped Washington, too.

“I’ll say it, they’re just a better team than us,” Washington manager Gregg Langbehn admitted.

The loss also was Washington’s fifth straight at home and seventh in the last nine games at Wild Things Park.

“We have to figure out a way to win at home,” Langbehn said. “We’ve played so poorly at home for the last month that it’s forcing us to play exceptional on the road, which we have done. I’ve tried different pregame routines and other things, but I don’t know what the answer is at home.”

Schaumburg scored three runs in the second inning and never trailed in the series finale, knocking out Washington starter Chase Cunningham (8-2) in the fifth inning. Cunningham lost for the first time since before the all-star break. The right-hander gave up six hits and four runs (three earned) in 4 1/3 innings, his second-shortest outing of the season.

Zack Weigel, David Harris and James Keller each drove in two runs for Schaumburg. Harris, playing on his 26th birthday, had a two-run single in the sixth that was the biggest hit of the game and gave the Boomers a 6-3 lead.

Washington scored in four different innings but could muster only one run in each. First baseman Kane Sweeney hit his 13th home run to lead off the third inning.

The Wild Things’ final chance to take the lead was in the sixth. With Schaumburg leading 6-3, Rashad Brown’s infield single scored Justin Bohn from third base and a throwing error on the play moved James Harris to third with one out. Schaumburg reliever Michael Wood (4-2) got out of the jam with a strikeout and groundout.

The Wild Things had plenty of opportunities against four Boomers pitchers but were unable to deliver a key hit that would have produced a multi-run inning and possibly turn the game’s momentum in favor of the home team.

Left fielder James Harris led Washington at the plate, going 3-of-5 with an RBI. Catcher Kyle Pollock had two hits and drove in a run.

Schaumburg relief pitchers Garrett Kelly and Rob McDonald end the game by combining for three consecutive scoreless innings. The duo retired each of the final nine Washington hitters, six on strikeouts. The Wild Things struck out 14 times on the night.

“We can’t afford to strike out 14 times. We have to get hit and be like (Schaumburg) and just put the ball in play. They struck out only two times.”

Sweeney has reached base in 21 consecutive games. . .. Hector Roa, the Wild Things’ right fielder, had a stellar defensive game. He threw out Sean Godfrey at home plate to end the top of the fifth inning when the latter tried to tag and score from third base on a flyout. In the eighth, Roa made a spectacular catch of a foul fly ball hit by John Holland. Roa made the catch while sliding at the end of a full-out sprint toward the Wild Things’ bullpen. He slid hard into the bullpen bench but held onto the baseball and remained in the game. . . . It was the 10th series sweep for Schaumburg. … The Wild Things begin a three-game series tonight at Joliet before going to Schaumburg.