The Ottawa Titans put a bow on their preseason schedule on Wednesday night, defeating the Washington Wild Things by a score of 7-6.
Much like they did in their meeting with the Trois-Rivières Aigles last night, the Titans found themselves in a hole early in the game. Leugim Castillo started the Wild Things out on the right foot, blasting a two-run shot over the fence in left-field. Then, in the fourth inning, Brendon Dadson found himself caught in between flipping the ball to the pitcher and tagging first base, and opted to toss it to his pitcher. The result was an error, and the Wild Things scored their third run in the game, taking a 3-0 lead.
Dadson, however, didn’t take long to redeem himself. In the fourth, Dadson sent a line drive base-hit into shallow right-field, cashing in a run for the Titans. In that same inning, Dadson came around to score after AJ Wright reached base on a fielder’s choice, cutting the Washington lead down to just one run.
By the sixth inning, the Titans had drawn level. Jason DiCochea, who the Titans acquired via trade from the Windy City Thunderbolts just days ago, sent one over the fence in left-field, tying the game for Ottawa. In the very next inning, Rodrigo Orozco hit the Titans’ second home run of the game, giving Ottawa the lead for the first time.
A simple cruise to the finish wasn’t in the cards for the Titans and Wild Things, however. Insanity ensued, starting with a bases-loaded walk for Orozco in the ninth inning, followed by a two-run double from Tyrus Greene to give Ottawa a 7-4 lead. With the nature of independent baseball, and the Titans being light on relievers to start the season, the Wild Things continued to knock at the door, refusing to go down without a fight.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, the Wild Things got yet another home run from Ian Walters, cutting Ottawa’s lead to just two. It didn’t take long for them to push another run across the plate, and with two outs, they had the bases loaded, looking to end the game. Kenny Williams got the better of Castillo, forcing him to pop up on the infield, and the Titans narrowly escaped a close contest in Washington.
The win marks the end of the Titans’ preseason schedule, finishing 3-1, with the lone loss coming in the preseason opener at the hands of the Quebec Capitales. For Washington on the other hand, they end their preseason 5-1, losing just their game against Ottawa.
With the preseason now in the books, the Titans can start looking forward to the games that count. Even though there will be some lineup juggling, especially early in the season, the overriding feeling is excitement for the ball club.
“I’d like to see us get going a little more offensively with some of our key guys,” said Titans’ manager, Bobby Brown. “I think this will be an exciting ball club.”
The Titans will have a day of rest, before starting the season for real against the Joliet Slammers, on Friday evening. Zac Westcott is expected to start for Ottawa on the hill.
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