Wild Things go extra for win
Mark Marietta / For the Observer-Reporter
C.J. Beatty played three seasons (2013-15) for the Wild Things.
Wild Things shortstop Garret Rau slides safely into third after a single by C.J. Beatty.
Nobody plays extra-inning games in the Frontier League quite like the Wild Things and Windy City ThunderBolts.
The teams played two 12-inning games on the final night of the regular season in 2011, then played a league-record 19-inning game early last season.
The Wild Things and ThunderBolts were at it again Friday night.
Long after Washington’s Scott Dunn and Windy City’s Markus Solbach hooked up in a solid pitching matchup, and Washington’s C.J. Beatty hit a dramatic game-tying home run in the eighth inning, Stewart Ijames ended his frustrating night and the longest game of the season at Consol Energy Park.
Ijames’s double to the right-centerfield wall drove in Garrett Rau from first base with one out in the bottom of the 11th, giving the Wild Things a 4-3 come-from-behind victory before a crowd of 2,982 vocal fans.
It was the fourth win in a row for Washington (9-4) and its ninth in the last 10 games after starting the season with three losses.
Rau, who scored two of Washington’s runs, started the 11th by drawing a walk off Jordan Mejia (0-1), the fourth Windy City pitcher of the game. After Beatty flied out to center field, Ijames laced a double into the gap that rolled to the wall at the angle in right centerfield. Rau scored easily, without drawing a throw to the plate.
“That was a good team win,” said Ijames, the Wild Things’ cleanup batter who was hitless with two strikeouts in his first four at-bats, striking out twice.
“It was a good chess match between me and the pitchers tonight. I kept swinging through pitches. I was fortunate to get the barrel on the ball in the last at-bat.”
Ijames almost gave the Wild Things a 4-3 lead in the eighth. With the score tied, Ijames launched a fly ball that Windy City left fielder Ty Stetson tracked down at the edge of the warning track in left centerfield.
That swing came one at-bat after Beatty hit a two-out, two-run homer to left centerfield that tied the score at 3-3.
Windy City had taken the lead in the top of the eighth, using a late swing by Windy City catcher Doug Joyce that turned into a well-placed triple over the first-base bag that scored Max White from second base with the go-ahead run. Joyce then made it 3-1 when he scored on a squeeze bunt by Stetson.
Those runs came off Washington reliever Pat Butler, but the Wild Things’ bullpen, which included Devin Malone and Al Yevoli (1-1), combined to retire the last 12 Windy City batters. Malone, a rookie out of Louisiana-Monroe, was making only his third professional outing, pitched 2 1/3 perfect innings, striking out two.
“The bullpen has been the key for us,” Ijames said. “Malone did a heck of a job with the limited innings he’s had.”
The game started out as a pitcher’s duel between Dunn and Solbach, the latter a native of Germany. Both starters allowed only three hits, one walk and one run over seven innings before turning it over to the bullpens. Solbach matched his career high with eight strikeouts and retired 12 consecutive Washington hitters at one point. Dunn struck out three, had a pair of seven-pitch innings and retired 12 of 13 during one stretch.
“We know what we’re going to get with Dunn,” Ijames said. “We’re going to get pitches with great location and good sink. He’s tough to score against.”
Washington scored against Solbach in the first inning and used a double steal to push across the run. Rau and Beatty hit back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with one out. Beatty then stole second base, and when the throw from Joyce went threw to second base, Rau broke for home and scored without drawing a throw.
Windy City tied it at 1-1 when Kyle Robinson, the ThunderBolts’ cleanup hitter, smacked a towering solo homer off the scoreboard in left centerfield to start the second inning.
“That was a fun game to watch,” Ijames said. “There were good defensive plays on both sides. Windy City is a really good team and they came right at us.”
Washington coach Bob Bozzuto, who suffered a heart attack and underwent bypass surgery last month, was back with the team and coached first base. … Windy City first baseman Matt Scioscia is the son of Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia. … Beatty (2-for-5) was the only player with a multi-hit game. Beatty’s home run was his fifth and tied the Greys’ Joe Rapp for the league lead. … Scioscia had the groundout cycle. He grounded out four times, one time to each of Washington’s infielders.