ST. JOSEPH – A third inning bloop single from Jax Himel cleared the bases, pushing the Mustangs in front for good, and St. Joseph took down Chillicothe 5-2 at Phil Welch Stadium Wednesday.
Himel hit a pop up off the end of the bat, but it ended up sinking into shallow right field after an overrun from Mudcat second baseman Jonah Sanford, scoring two. Then, usual pitcher Cole Mammenga, who was playing right in place of an injured Nolan Barr, lobbed it into second, and Trevor McCollum scored on a heads-up baserunning play, giving the Mustangs a 3-2 lead.
Chillicothe starter Ryan Sell struggled with command again, walking six and didn’t make it through five innings. With a taxed bullpen, the Mudcats had to turn to position player Elijah Maris for a couple innings in relief.
The Mudcats briefly took a 2-0 lead in the third on back-to-back RBI singles from Tyler Bickers and Justin Sanchez. Much like Tuesday’s game at Des Moines though, Chillicothe mustered only one hit past the fourth inning.
Bickers was the only Mudcat to record a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with an RBI.
Chillicothe falls to 15-24 on the season, and with Carroll’s win at Nevada, the Mudcats are now three-and-a-half games out of a playoff spot. The margin for error is gone, and Chillicothe needs to win out for a shot at the postseason.
The Mudcats continue their road trip Thursday when they return to St. Joseph. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. C.T.
