WILD THINGS SWEEP CRUSHERS TO HEAD TO CHAMPIONSHIP
WRITTEN BY: MIKE GUISTOLISE
WASHINGTON, PA - The Washington Wild Things are moving on to the Frontier League Championship Series after defeating the Lake Erie Crushers 10-0 on Saturday night, completing the Division Series sweep.
The win puts the Wild Things back in the championship for the first time since 2021. They will now await the results of the East Division Series' third game on Sunday to see who they will be competing with for the Frontier League title.
The game was dominated by Washington, beginning in the third inning when third baseman Tommy Caufield brought in two runs with a single back to the Lake Erie pitcher, Jack Eisenbarger. Left fielder Wagner Lagrange added on later in the inning with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
Shortstop Ethan Wilder continued the surge for the Wild Things in the fourth inning when he drilled an RBI double to right-center to make it 4-0. Catcher Ricardo Sanchez teamed up with Caufield to bring in two more runs in the inning, running the Washington lead up to six.
First Baseman Andrew Czech came around to score in the fifth after a botched fielding attempt on a single by second baseman Jalen Miller. The onslaught continued into the seventh when Wilder worked a bases-loaded walk to put the Wild Things up 8-0. Sanchez then put the game out of reach with a two-run single later in the inning to put Washington's lead in double digits. Right-hander Jordan DiValerio closed out the game for the Wild Things in the ninth to secure the win and send them to the championship.
The Crushers were able to load the bases in the second and fourth innings but were turned away by right-handed starter Zach Kirby both times. The lefty Eisenbarger took the loss for the Crushers while right-hander Dariel Fregio earned the win after tossing two scoreless innings in relief of Kirby.
Washington will host the first two games of the championship series at Wild Things Park, beginning on Tuesday, September 10th at 7:05 PM EDT. Whom they will face will be determined in game three of the East Division Series on Sunday.
