CARROLL – Tanner Sears roped a one-out double in the eighth inning Friday, lifting Chillicothe to a 4-3 win over Carroll at Merchants Park.
Sears entered the game for Elian Guzman in the seventh inning on defense, and his only at-bat turned into the game-winning hit.
The Mudcats tallied seven hits, but no one had more than one. Justin Sanchez and Ryan Mittelman notched the other two RBI for Chillicothe.
Jacob Schaff, the Minnesota Morris product in his Chillicothe debut, nearly went as deep as any Mudcat starting pitcher this season, lasting six innings while allowing just one earned run. One other area Mudcat pitching has struggled with this season is issuing walks, but they did not allow a single free pass all night.
Steven Ricketts came in and worked a quiet ninth inning, earning the save.
Hunter Reid led the way for Carroll with a 2-for-3 night, picking up two of the three RBI for the Merchants in the game.
Chillicothe finishes the first half with a 10-16 record.
The Mudcats begin their All-Star break, with the annual game taking place Sunday at Clarinda following the home run derby. Chillicothe isn’t back in action until Tuesday when they travel to Joplin. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. C.T.
