Wild Things take series finale from Rippers - WTRF 7 News Sports Weather - Wheeling Steubenville

Chris Smith was dazzling through six innings, as the Washington WildThings, presented by Washington Financial, took their series finale from theLondon Rippers 3-1 on Monday Afternoon.

Smith worked quickly and efficiently on the mound, throwing six innings of one-run ball. He allowed one run on six hits and struck out eight.

Ina series where runs were runs were plentiful in the first game, they came at a premium on Monday afternoon.

TheWild Things duo of Andrew Heck and Rick Devereaux gave the Wild Things an early one-run lead in the first. Heck singled with two outs, and Devereaux followed with a triple to plate the first run of the ball game.

London answered in the bottom of the first, as Joash Brodin doubled in Matt Wright to knot things at one.

Keeping up with the theme from previous evenings, Washington reclaimed the lead a half inning later.

With runners on first and third, Michael Bando reached on a fielder's choice that retired Matt McConnell that scored Johnathan Erb from third. Erb led off the inning with a walk and McConnell singled two batters later.

TheThings added on two innings later in the fourth, when Taylor Oldham took an 0-1offering from Brandon Sinnery and deposited it over the fence to give Washington a 3-1 lead.

From that point on, the two ball clubs traded zeros as Smith gave way to Nick Cicioin the seventh. Cicio entered in the seventh and pitched a scoreless 1 2/3innings before Chandler Barnard became the third Wild Things pitcher to take the mound.

Washington faced a bit of trouble in the eighth, after Cicio gave up a bloop single toMark Samuelson and was quickly replaced by Barnard. Barnard then walked StephenCardullo but came right back to strike out David Christensen, one of the hottest bats in the Rippers lineup, to end the inning.

Barnard faced danger again in the ninth, as two runners reached base via an error and a single to threaten to put the winning run at the plate, but got Shane Bagley swinging to end the game and preserve the Wild Things win.