SEDALIA – Elijah Maris homered in the eighth inning Monday, giving Chillicothe the insurance they needed to survive a ninth inning Sedalia rally, and the Mudcats held on for a 5-4 win at Liberty Park Stadium.
The Bombers loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth against Mudcat closer Tanner Sears, who walked in a run with two out. But Sears promptly struck out Chris Pudney, completing a lengthy three-walk, three-strikeout ninth inning to hang on for the win.
Chillicothe’s Bailey Quint tossed his longest start of the season, lasting five innings and allowing just one earned run. Because the Mudcats got the go-ahead run in the sixth, Quint earned his first victory of the year.
Sedalia’s Brock Lucas, the Missouri commit, hit his pitch limit with two outs in the fifth inning, but tallied a season-high eight strikeouts in his start.
Zach Dillman went 3-for-5 for the Bombers, including a single in the ninth, but was stranded at third base to end the game.
Jonah Sanford had a breakout night for Chillicothe, going 3-for-4 with a trio of singles.
The Mudcat win gave them back-to-back victories for just the second time this season. They improve to 8-12 overall.
A schedule change was announced for the Mudcats Monday. Wednesday’s game at Des Moines has been moved back, and the two teams will now play a twin bill at Shaffer Park Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. C.T.
