Coming off of back-to-back wins in Joplin, the Mudcats were looking to keep the good times rolling. They would take a trip to Jefferson City for the first and only time of the regular season for a doubleheader. There was a sense of things finally coming together for the team, but the doubleheader seemed to tell a couple different stories. Game one, Chillicothe gets the victory in extra innings, 12-11. In game two, they would take a tough 18-2 loss. Now, if I just told you that, I would be leaving out a big chunk of information. So, let’s take a deep dive into what went right in game one and what went terribly wrong in game two.
In game one, Chillicothe would put up a five run lead after the first inning. In the second inning, Designated Hitter Tanner Sears would connect on a two-run HR to left, to go up 7-0, a commanding lead early. That lead would seem to stay pretty commanding for most of the game, until the sixth for Jefferson City. The Mudcats would be up 10-5 at the time as ten batters would come to the plate, six would score. Just like that, the Renegades would take their first lead, now up 11-10. Last chance for Chillicothe as Outfielder Ben Kasparie would draw a leadoff walk, steal second and third base, and have Infielder Chris Carratala hit an RBI double to tie the game at 11-11. LHP Kainoa Holt would have a scoreless bottom half and this game would head to extra innings. Sears would step to the plate and crush a solo HR to left, putting the Mudcats in front 12-11. Better yet, Sears would come on to try and close the game out in the bottom half. He would load the bases, but with two outs, get a line drive out to center to end the game.
Game two would be a completely different story for the Mudcats. Aside from the fact Jefferson City would put up eight runs in the first two innings to go up 8-0, that wasn’t even the biggest story of the game. It seemed like a common theme most of the game for Mudcats’ Head Coach Tyler Hudlow to get into it with the home plate umpire. The first issue started with a few balls and strikes calls, which Hudlow and the rest of the team believed to be missed by the umpire for most of the game. In the second inning, Renegades’ Designated Hitter Aiden Baumann would hit a grand slam off of RHP Justice Ramirez. As Baumann approached first, he aggressively flipped his bat in style towards the Mudcats’ dugout. Per rule, courtesy of the NCAA Baseball 2023-2024 Baseball Rules Book: Pages 56-57, Section 17: Game personnel shall not use language that will, in any manner, refer to or reflect negatively upon opposing players, coaches, umpires or spectators. Any orchestrated activities by any player or dugout personnel designed to distract, intimidate or disconcert the opposing team or reflect poor sportsmanship shall not be allowed. This includes activities such as bat flips near or toward an opponent or umpire.
The rule also states the penalty for this results in a warning with a possible ejection at the discretion of the umpire. As it happened, many Mudcats’ personnel witnessed it and the umpires proceeded to not to take action against Baumann for the unsportsmanlike act. While there wasn’t any ill will directed from Chillicothe to Jefferson City Through everything that happened in this game, both teams seemed to realize the situation at hand and just try to finish the game for what it was. They would go the full seven innings, multiple position players came in to pitch for the Mudcats and even some regular pitchers got their first at-bat in such a lopsided game. RHP Karter Muck would record a single in the final inning, which seemed to be the grand finale for Chillicothe, eventually falling by that score of 18-2.
The Mudcats look to forget game two from Saturday and look forward to Sunday Night in Clarinda against the A’s. RHP Jake Young will get the start for the Mudcats, first pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
