Right at home: Wild Things blank Boulders
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Mark Marietta/ For The Observer-Reporter
Wild Things’ Hector Roa puts himself in scoring position by beating the throw to New York Boulders’ second baseman Stephen Figueroa in the third inning of the season-opening game at Wild Things Park Friday.
Shortstop Nick Ward can be all smiles because his contract was purchased by the Philadelphia Phillies organization after he played three years with the Wild Things.
Mark Marietta/ For The O-R
Mark Marietta/Observer-Reporter Wild Things' Alex Alvarez holds on to second, beating the throw to New York Boulders' shortstop Tucker Nathans in the season opening game at Wild Things Park on May 13.
The Frontier League’s Opening Day in Washington unfolded like it had been designed on a Norman Rockwell sketch pad.
A bright blue sky, comfortable breeze and pregame ceremonies celebrating Washington’s 20th season lit up Wild Things Park. It was the kind of picturesque night fans dreamed about when the park opened 20 years ago.
Then the thunder rolled in.
It came from the Wild Things’ bats and began with the first pitch of the season for Washington hitters. Shortstop Nick Ward hit the initial pitch of the game from New York’s Robby Rowland over the wall in left field for an opposite-field home run.
There was plenty of offense to follow as Washington unleashed a 16-hit attack that included eight that went for extra bases in an 11-0 rout of the Boulders on Friday night.
After Ward’s season-opening home run, Washington scored four times in the second inning. The first four batters of the inning produced a hitting cycle. Right fielder Hector Roa doubled to right center field and third baseman Ian Walters homered in the same direction to make it 3-0. Alex Alvarez lined a single off the glove of third baseman Chris Kwitzer and speedy center fielder Cole Brannen tripled down the right-field line to make it 4-0.
Brannen scored when Ward, who was 4-for-5, doubled to center field. Ward finished a triple shy of hitting for the cycle.
Washington tacked on single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings to pushed its lead to 9-0. That was more than enough offense for Wild Things starter Rob Whalen and relievers Hayden Pearce and Bralin Gonzalez.
Whalen (1-0) pitched five shutout innings. He allowed four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts. Pearce was even more impressive. Making his Frontier league debut, the righthander struck out the first four batters he faced. Pearce threw three shutout innings, retiring all nine batters he faced, five via strikeout.
Gonzalez, a lefty, threw a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts.
Rowland (0-1) finished with an ugly pitching line. He went five innings, giving up 12 hits, two walks and nine runs (eight earned).
Roa reached on an infield single to start the third, stole second base and scored on a two-out single by Ward.
Left fielder L.G. Castillo hit a one-out triple in the fourth and scored to make it 8-0 when first baseman Andrew Czech grounded out.
Consecutive singles by Walters and catcher Alex Alvarez followed by an error pushed the Washington lead to 9-0 in the fifth.
The Wild Things cracked double digits with two runs in the seventh, and the inning started with Roa reaching base on a strikeout and wild pitch. Brannen’s one-out book-rule double put two runners in scoring position, and they came home on consecutive singles by ward and pinch-hitter Ramon Osuna.
Notes
Washington is 9-11 all-time in home openers. … Because of lengthy pregame ceremonies celebrating the Wild Things’ 20th season, the game started 21 minutes late. … Though it was the Wild Things’ opener, it was the second game for the Boulders. New York opened at home Thursday night and lost, 8-4, to Sussex County. … Former Wild Things director of baseball operations and Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Kent Tekulve coached first base during the third inning. … Attendance was 2,568.