After a tough loss at home against St. Joseph on Thursday, the Mudcats would travel to the Phil Welch Stadium for battle against the Mustangs. A crucial game for Chillicothe, as they entered the game with a tie for third place with the Carroll Merchants. The Mustangs bats stayed hot at the right time unfortunately, as they took a 9-3 victory. One play away, one call away, for the third game in a row and it went against the Mudcats.
From the start, the Mudcats seemed determined, with a go-getter attitude to take care of business on Friday Night. The matchup that has had the term “rivalry” all season long faced its final stop of the season. Whoever won this game would take the season series, with the record tied at 3-3. For the Mustangs, they started the scoring early, going up 3-0 after two innings. Chillicothe would put up two runs in the top of the third to cut the deficit to one at 3-2.
After adding one in the bottom of the third, the game stayed close at 4-2 for most of the game. Chillicothe would eventually inch closer with a run in the sixth, once again down by one run. What seemed like it was going to be a close game to the very end, changed quickly in the eighth. RHP Caleb Bergman would look to continue his great outing out of the bullpen, but faced a rocky eighth. The Mustangs would put up a five-run inning, to take a commanding 9-3 lead. Now up by six, St. Joe just needed the final three outs to win and secure their first place seeding in the division. The bats would go 1-2-3 in the ninth for Chillicothe, ending the game 9-3.
Well, it ain’t over until it’s over. The Mudcats find themselves in a heck of a predicament. First things first, they need the Mustangs to beat the Merchants on Saturday night. Along with that, the Mudcats need to come away victorious over the Clarinda A’s at the same time. Both games get started at 7:00 PM. If both of those scenarios happen, it would now rely on Clarinda defeating Carroll on Sunday to send the Mudcats to the postseason. The final countdown is on for the ‘Cats for Chillicothe.
