By: Thomas English
JOLIET, IL– The Washington Wild Things extended their winning streak to four games and won the series over the Joliet Slammers with a 5-2 win Wednesday morning.
Joliet (28-40) got the scoring started with an RBI single from center fielder Adam Pottinger in the second inning after a double from Victor Nova.
Washington (45-22) responded with a run of their own in the third with a solo homerun from third baseman Tommy Caufield. The Wild Things have hit a homerun in each of their last nine games.
Robert Chayka retook the lead in the fourth inning with an RBI single to right field, giving the Wild Things a 2-1 lead.
Once again, the duo of Nova and Pottinger struck gold as Nova recorded another double and Pottinger followed him with a triple off the right field wall to tie the game at two. Pottinger recorded his first two RBI of his career in the game.
Washington scored the go-ahead run in the fifth inning with a sacrifice fly from reigning Player of the Week Tyreque Reed. The Wild Things scored a run in each inning from the third through the fifth.
The scoring halted for both sides as the bullpens came in strong and the Slammers did not tack on any runs the remainder of the game. The Wild Things added a pair of insurance runs off of relief pitcher Dwayne Marshall in the ninth inning to give themselves a 5-2 lead.
The Slammers couldn’t mount a comeback in the final frame of action as closer Alex Carrillo shut down any push Joliet could make and secured a 5-2 win. He earned his first save of the season after throwing one inning and giving up just one walk.
Starting pitcher Dariel Fregio got the win after going six and two-thirds innings, giving up six hits, two runs, one walk and striking out eight. He improved to 8-2 on the year.
Geno Encina gets tagged with the loss for the Slammers and falls to 3-2 on the season. He recorded five innings pitched, allowing six hits, two earned runs, one walk and punching out two.
The Slammers will look to avoid the sweep tomorrow, August 1. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m.
For information on season tickets, premium suites or group outings, please visit the Slammers’ official website at www.jolietslammers.com.
