The Chillicothe Mudcats won their home opener Thursday night at Shaffer Park to move to 3-0 for the first time in team history. They took down the Carroll Merchants from Iowa for the second time in three days, 12-9 being the final score.
The Mudcats started this game on the back foot, as Carroll plated two runs in the top of the fourth inning to take the lead, taking advantage of a Mudcats error.
Chillicothe responded by scoring six runs in a strange way in the bottom of the fourth. The Mudcats did not get a single hit in the inning, and seven consecutive Mudcats hitters reached base, with five of the batters being hit by a pitch.
Carroll would take the lead back by scoring two runs in the fifth, and four in the sixth, making the score 8-6. But, the Mudcats scored six more runs in the bottom half of that frame, on just two hits, one of them an 2-RBI double by Rafael Calcano. That helped the Mudcats on their way to the win, even though the Merchants scored one more run in the seventh.
In a game where there were 21 total runs scored, the teams only combined for 10 hits. It was the pitching mound where both teams had their struggles. 28 combined walks were issued by both pitching staffs, 17 from the Mudcats, and 11 from the Merchants.
However, Chillicothe got out of multiple jams during the game, and stranded 15 Merchant base runners. Carroll ended up leaving runners on base in every single inning but one on the night.
Hawaii Pacific pitcher Brennan Kettle picked up his first win for the Mudcats after pitching the seventh and eighth innings and allowing just one run. Tanner Sears pitched the ninth inning and picked up his seventh career save as a Mudcat, which is one save away from tying the team record.
Chillicothe will look to keep the good vibes going when they travel west tonight to face the St. Joseph Mustangs, who were finalists in the MINK League last season. First pitch will be at 7:00. Tune in for tonight’s game and every other Mudcat game this summer on KCHI and on kchi.com.
