Just enough goes wrong in Wild Things loss
Wild Things outfielder Darian Sandford can’t come up with a fly ball during the sixth inning against Evansville Sunday.
Wild Things first baseman Stewart Ijames throws to second for an out while the bullpen stands on the foul line. Both teams’ bullpens waited on the line to play out a pre-game challenge. Washington’s hit in the bottom of the first scattered the competition.
0617_SPT_wildthings_03 Katie Roupe / Observer-Reporter Wild Things' Shawn Sanford pitches in the game against Evansville Otters with "dad" written on the side of his hat for father's day on Sunday, June 16.
0617_SPT_wildthings_02 Katie Roupe / Observer-Reporter Washington Wild Things Mark Samuelson gets a high five from manager Bart Zeller after hitting a home run in the sixth inning during Sunday's game.
A handful of circumstances prevented the Wild Things from winning their series finale Sunday against the Evansville Otters.
There was one bad inning, the fourth.
There was one mental mistake, a failure to cover first base on a sacrifice bunt.
There was one bad pitch, a two-run single by Ryan Kresky, the No. 9 hitter in Evansville’s lineup.
There was one hot opposing pitcher, Bryce Morrow.
It added up to one disappointing 7-5 loss for Washington.
Evansville, the first-place team in the Frontier League’s East Division, padded its lead over Washington to three games by winning two of the three contests in the weekend series. Instead of moving back to within one game of first place, the Wild Things slipped to third place, a half-game behind Traverse City.
“You try not to look at the standings this early in the season, but you know who’s in first place and who’s playing well,” said Washington designated hitter Mark Samuelson, who kept the Wild Things within striking distance by going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a home run. “We definitely knew this was a big series.”
After taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Washington’s offense hit the snooze button against Morrow (4-1), Evansville’s starter, and reliever Jason Ridenhour. The Wild Things suffered a rocky fourth inning and fell behind 7-1 in the middle innings before scoring three times in the bottom of the ninth and bringing the potential game-winning run to the plate.
“We made it interesting,” Washington manager Bart Zeller said. “We kept fighting back. We were one swing away from being right back in the game.”
The Wild Things, however, couldn’t overcome that one messy inning, when Evansville scored four runs in the fourth on only two hits.
The pivotal inning began with two walks – don’t all by big innings begin with a walk? – by Washington starter Shawn Sanford (4-1), who entered the game with a sterling 1.04 ERA. Evansville’s Steve Marino then dropped down a bunt that Washington third baseman Jovan Rosa fielded. However, Wild Things second baseman Shain Stoner was late covering first base, and Rosa’s throw sailed down the right-field line as the Otters tied the score at 1-1.
“That was the first time Shawn has struggled to find the zone the way he usually does,” Zeller said. “He battled and fought like a pro. … Leadoff walks score 65 percent of the time, then we had the mental lapse and didn’t cover first base on a bunt. That opened up the inning for Evansville, and they’re too good of a club to give extra outs to.”
Before the fourth inning ended, Evansville added Frank Martinez’s RBI-single and the two-run single by Kreskey after the latter fell behind 0-2 in the count.
Evansville stretched its lead to 5-1 in the fifth when first baseman Andrew Clark, the league’s leading hitter, smacked his sixth home run, an opposite-field shot over the 375-feet sign in left centerfield.
“That was a good series between two good teams,” Evansville manager Andy McCauley said. “I was looking forward to this game so much that I was here at 1 o’clock. I wanted to see Sanford, and he threw well. He just left two pitches up.”
Morrow (4-1) only had problems with Samuelson, who doubled home Darian Sandford in the top of the first and hit a solo home run in the sixth, the latter making the score 7-2. Morrow allowed six hits and two runs in six innings. He struck out five and did not issue a walk.
Washington forced McCauley to call upon closer Eric Massingham for the second consecutive night by rallying in the ninth against reliever Kyle Wormington.
Singles by Jovan Rosa and Samuelson got the uprising started and preceded a walk to rookie Scott Kalamar. After Stewart Ijames’ RBI-groundout, A.J. Nunziato lined a two-run single to right centerfield to make the score 7-5.
Massingham, who moved into second place on the Frontier League’s saves list with the 50th of his career, then entered and struck out the first batter he faced before walking Gus Benusa. However, pinch-hitter C.J. Beatty flied out to center field.
“You want to win every series, but we showed some fight at the end,” Samuelson said.
Washington is off today before beginning a three-game series at home Tuesday against Traverse City. Evansville is off for two consecutive days before playing a doubleheader Wednesday against Joliet. … The Otters, who have won eight consecutive series, have outscored their opponents 22-0 in the fourth inning. … After the national anthem was played, the relief pitchers for each team remained standing at attention along the foul territory side of their respective foul lines, Evansville in left field and Washington in right field. They remained that way, with approval of the umpires, as part of a bullpen challenge to see which group would be the first to disperse. Washington won the challenge when Samuelson’s first-inning double went down the left-field line and to the wall, scattering the Otters’ pitchers.