Last chances

The conventional wisdom -- or maybe it's simply wishful thinking -- suggests that wins like the Wild Things' 6-5 come-from-behind victory Sunday over the Greys can turn a season around or provide the impetus for a hot stretch.

Washington erased two late-game deficits against the Greys and won in the 10th inning. It's was only the Greys, the travel team, the last-place team in the East Division, you say. Well, that's true, but the Greys' Bryce Shafer has been a reliable closer. All seven of his saves, of course, have come on the road. He doesn't get any of the so-called room-service saves. And Washington scored in consecutive innings against him.

The biggest development, from my perspective, in that win was the manner in which it was accomplished. The Wild Things had to hit their way back into the game, which is something they've rarely been unable to do ... for several years. This time, they tied the game in the 7th and 9th innings and won in their last at-bat.

Last at-bat wins are sometimes a good barometer for what kind of an offense a team has. A lot of last at-bat wins means you have a team that can hit its way back into games and is rarely considered out of a contest. When Washington fielded its best teams, the Wild Things made last at-bats wins, especially at home, the house specialty.

Here's a look at each Frontier League team's last at-bat wins this season:
7 - Normal
7 - Schaumburg
6 - River City
5 - Gateway
4- Florence
4 - Lake Erie
4 - Southern Illinois
3- Rockford
3- Traverse City
3 - Windy City
2 - Evansville
2 - Joliet
2 - Washington
0 - Greys