Aug 10, 2013 4 min read

It was a good Saturday night to be from Germany and pitching in Washington.

About the time Paderborn, Germany’s Marvin Herrmann was finishing a five-hitter and defeating Washington’s entry in the Pony League World Series, across town the Windy City ThunderBolts’ Markus Solbach, a 22-year-old right-hander from Dormagen, Germany, began putting together six stellar innings in his first professional start.

Solbach allowed only one run, and Windy City scored nine runs in the top of the ninth inning, as the ThunderBolts cooled off the surging Wild Things, 11-4, before 2,102 at Consol Energy Park.

The loss prevented Washington (35-37) from climbing to the .500 mark for the first time since early July. The Wild Things began the night five games behind Lake Erie in the race for the final wild-card playoff spot.

While the nine-run ninth, in which Windy City’s first seven batters reached base, broke a 2-2 tie and won the game for the ThunderBolts, it was the spot start by Solbach that had Windy City in position for a victory. Solbach was making his first start after 40 career relief appearances, including 31 in the Minnesota Twins’ system.

Windy City wanted to get four innings out of Solbach. Instead, the ThunderBolts got six innings of three-hit ball.

Solbach gave up only one hit – a shattered-bat single by C.J. Beatty with two outs in the first inning – through the first five innings. Washington finally broke through for a run in the sixth, getting a run when Tyler Hall singled up the middle and scored on Shain Stoner’s double to the gap in left centerfield, cutting Windy City’s lead to 2-1.

The ThunderBolts’ bullpen couldn’t secure a win for Solbach. After Jessie Snodgrass threw a perfect seventh inning, Washington tied the score at 2-2 in the eighth against sidearmer Reese McGraw (1-3). Scott Kalamar, the No. 9 hitter in Washington’s lineup, drew a leadoff walk, was advanced to second base by Hall’s bunt and scored on a two-out single by Beatty that just eluded diving first baseman Evan Button, who had given Windy City a 2-0 lead with a home run in the third inning.

Button’s homer came off Washington starting pitcher Shawn Blackwell, who threw a season-high 7 1/3 innings and gave up only four hits and two runs.

Windy City won the game by sending 13 batters to the plate in the ninth against three Washington relievers. The ThunderBolts loaded the bases on an infield single and throwing error, a walk and a bunt single against Matt Phillips (3-3). Andrew Brauer, Jayce Ray and Doug Joyce each contributed RBI-singles and Miles Walding drew a walk. After an out, Mike Torres hit a two-run double that made the score 9-2.

Chase Tucker, who entered the game in the ninth as a pinch-runner, tripled home Torres and scored on Kyle Robinson’s double.

The Wild Things scored twice in the bottom of the ninth, using a single by Stewart Ijames, a double by A.J. Nunziato and singles by Mario Mercedes and Kalamar.

Both teams wore royal blue jerseys, which gave the game the look of an intrasquad contest. … Washington manager Bart Zeller said it is unlikely that third baseman Jovan Rosa (ankle) will be activated during this series. Rosa has been on the 7-day disabled list since July 31. The Wild Things are hoping that Rosa, who is batting .301 with 17 doubles, can be used as the designated hitter for the four-game series that begins Tuesday at Lake Erie. … The nine-run ninth was Windy City’s largest inning in more than three years. The ThunderBolts had eight of their 12 hits in the last inning.