Wild Things win season opener, 4-3
Trevor Foss pitched into the seventh inning in his Frontier League debut and the Wild Things won their season opener, 4-3, over the Gateway Grizzlies before a crowd of 5,027 Friday night in Sauget, Ill.
It was the first win for new Wild Things manager Gregg Langbehn and Washington’s seventh consecutive victory at GCS Ballpark.
Foss (1-0), who was signed by Washington last month after being released from the Los Angeles Angels organization, pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and one run. He did not issue a walk.
Gateway starter Trevor Richards (0-1) held Washington hitless until the fifth inning when David Popkins led off with a double. He scored the game’s first run on a single by catcher Kyle Pollock. Before the inning ended, Jamal Austin added a run-scoring single and Austin Wobrock lofted a sacrifice fly that gave the Wild Things a 3-0 advantage.
Gateway scored its only run off Foss in the fifth to close to within 3-1.
Washington tacked on what proved to be an important insurance run in the eighth. Wobrock led off with a walk and advanced to second base on a passed ball and to third on a groundout by Bryan Haar. Jimmy Yezzo then delivered a single that gave the Wild Things a 4-1 lead.
Gateway made it interesting by scoring two runs in the bottom of the ninth off Andrew Woeck but Gateway stranded the potential tying run on first base.