CLARINDA – Clarinda won both games of a doubleheader Sunday, whipping Chillicothe 11-4 in game one and winning on a walk-off ground ball to take game two 4-3 at Municipal Stadium.
The A’s got off to a roaring start in the first game, plating four in the first inning on four hits. Clarinda scored in every inning of the seven-inning contest.
Will Walsh led the way for the A’s, pounding out a 4-for-4 game with an RBI double and a solo home run. Eight of Clarinda’s nine hitters tallied at least one hit in the game.
Brennan Sefrit dialed up six strong innings in the start for Clarinda and earned the victory.
Nolan Barr was one of the few bright spots in the first game for the Mudcats, as he crushed his first home run of the summer in the sixth inning.
Game two was a completely different story in nearly every facet of the game.
Koby Linder came out firing for the Mudcats in an intended opener role, but he stayed efficient and tossed five shutout innings after closing out the ninth inning in Saturday’s win over Jefferson City.
Linder’s Mudcats led just 2-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth when newcomer Avery Rivero entered the game in relief. After hitting Jared Anderson, Rivero gave up a two-out RBI single to Luke Saunders and then a two-run homer to Nathan Barksdale, and Clarinda Clarinda took a 3-2 lead to the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, Chillicothe was able to scrape together a run thanks to a pair of defensive errors by A’s third baseman Kam Kelton. Braedyn Brewer, in his first game with the team this season, tied the game on an RBI groundout.
That paved the way for a hectic bottom of the seventh. Tanner Sears came in on the mound for the Mudcats after Rivero left the game with arm soreness.
Sears gave up a one-out single to the MINK League’s stolen base leader Tab Tracy, who promptly stole second and third.
With two out, Mudcat skipper Tyler Hudlow chose to intentionally walk Will Walsh, who had four hits in game one. That left runners at the corners.
Jared Anderson hit a ground ball to Mudcat third baseman Tyler Bickers and his throw pulled first baseman Elian Guzman off the bag. By the time Guzman applied the tag on Anderson, he had reached safely, and the A’s walked off winners.
The Mudcats fall to 4-10 on the season and remain in last place.
The Mudcats are back at Shaffer Park Monday for a make-up game against the Carroll Merchants. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. C.T.
