May 20, 2016 4 min read

Just in case you missed it during the Frontier League’s eight-month offseason, the controversial International Tiebreaker made its return Friday night to Consol Energy Park, just in time for the Wild Things’ home opener.

Washington’s run of bad luck in the gimmicky extra-innings scenario also carried over to 2016.

In the International Tiebreaker, each half-inning, starting with the top of the 11th, begins with a runner on second base. The rule is designed to prevent games from extending beyond a dozen innings and overworking each team’s bullpen.

In Washington, all it has done is frustrate the Wild Things, who lost their first three tiebreaker games last year and finished with a 2-4 record in such contests.

Lake Erie scored four runs in the top of the 12th inning and needed three more in the 13th Friday night to put a damper on Washington’s home opener and outlast the Wild Things, 9-6.

Lake Erie (6-0) is the Frontier League’s only undefeated team and is off to the best start in franchise history.

The game was a pitcher’s duel for 10 innings and went to the tiebreaker tied 1-1. Then both offenses kicked it into overdrive. The teams combined to score 13 runs in three bizarre innings.

“It went from being an awesome baseball game to a slow-pitch softball game,” said Washington manager Gregg Langbehn, who was involved in his first tiebreaker game.

Lake Erie scored in the top of the 11th on a one-out single by Max Casper, the No. 9 hitter in the batting order, to take a 2-1 lead, but Washington answered with a one-out run-scoring single by center fielder Jamal Austin. A hit-and-run single by Austin Wobrock moved Austin to third base and put Washington in position to win.

Lake Erie’s Keegan Ghidotti, the seventh of nine Lake Erie pitchers, worked out of the jam by fielding a grounder hit by Jimmy Yezzo and starting an inning-ending double play.

The Crushers used three singles and two walks (one intentional) off reliever Tyler Garkow (0-1) to score four runs in the 12th. One of the runs crossed home plate on a single by Lake Erie second baseman Brendan Constantino, a Monongahela native. Constantino was 1-for-5 and made two terrific diving stops on ground balls, leading to Washington outs.

The Wild Things, however, matched Lake Erie by scoring four times in the bottom of the 12th, the last run crossing on a two-out wild pitch. Andrew Heck had an RBI-triple and scored on a double off the left-field wall by Grant Fink. John Ziznewski made it 6-5 with a single and Fink scored on a wild pitch by former Wild Things reliever Devin Malone (1-0).

Lake Erie won the game with three runs in the 13th. Catcher Jose Barraza had the game-winning hit, a single that scored Connor Oliver, who started the inning on second base. The Crushers tacked on two insurance runs on a double by designated hitter William Beckwith and a triple by Daniel Aldrich.

“As a traditionalist, I don’t like the tiebreaker at all, though it was an excellent game for the fans” Langbehn said. “The hitters got into it and started hitting, but all the tiebreaker did was prolong the game. As for my opinion on the tiebreaker, it’s ‘No thanks.'”

Beckwith, who played 61 games with the Wild Things in 2014, had a big return to Washington. He was 4-for-5 with a solo home run off the top of the green batter’s eye in center field, two doubles and two RBI.

Beckwith’s homer was the only run allowed in seven innings by Washington starter Chase Cunningham. The right-hander allowed five hits and did not issue a walk.

Washington scored the game’s first run in the third inning when catcher Alex McKeon raced home on Austin’s two-out single off

Fernando Gallegos pitched a scoreless 13th for a save. … Austin had three of the Wild Things’ 10 hits. … Prior to the game, Washington activated Rodriguez, an outfielder, from the 7-day disabled list and released pitcher Jeremy Holcombe. Holcombe pitched in one game, giving up five runs in 2 1/3 innings. … Catcher Kyle Pollock was placed on the 14-day disabled list Thursday. … Washington is 7-8 in home openers. … Ateendance was 2,803.