Wild Things gets 1,000th Frontier League win
SAUGET, Ill. — For the 1,000th time, yes, the Wild Things won.
Stephen Knapp pitched six innings of one-run ball, Wagner Lagrange and Jared Mang each drove in a pair and the Wild Things defeated the Gateway Grizzlies, 6-4, Friday night.
The win was the 1,000th regular-season victory for Washington in 20 Frontier League seasons. Washington is the fourth team in league history – Evansville, Windy City and now-defunct River City are the others – to win 1,000 games.
The Wild Things forged a five-run lead before seeing Gateway close to within 5-4 in the eighth. Washington scored an insurance run in the top of the ninth and Washington’s Lukas Young pitched the bottom of the inning for his 16th save.
Washington scored four times in the third inning against Gateway starter Scott Feldman (6-7). The inning featured a two-run single by Lagrange.
Washington made it 5-0 in the fifth when Nick Ward scored on a sacrifice fly by Scotty Dubrule.
That was enough offense for Knapp (3-2) and three relievers. Knapp allowed four hits, did not walk a batter and struck out three.
Gateway scored one run off reliever Isaac Mattson in the seventh inning and two off Christian James in the eighth to cut Washington’s lead to 5-4. In the ninth, with Cam Balego at third base with one out, Mang hit a roller to third base that scored Balego with an insurance run.