Matt Clark in with local sports, it was an exciting night at Shaffer Park on Friday night, as the Chillicothe Mudcats beat the KC Monarchs for the second time in a non league contest that finished 3-2 in the Mudcats favor. Chillicothe won the game, which was a Hawaiian themed night at the ballpark,in walk off fashion, but not in the way you would expect.
In the bottom of the ninth, the Mudcats got their leadoff hitter, Drew Sanidad, on base with a single. He stole second base, then proceeded to steal third base, and put the winning run 90 feet away from the plate. The next Mudcats batter, Joey Anderson, got on base via a fielder’s choice, and as he was attempting to steal second base, when Sanidad scored from third base on a balk from KC Monarchs pitcher, Alex Wright, to end the game. Here’s the call of the final play as heard live on KCHI and on kchi.com.
The Mudcats got their scoring late on the night, as they trailed 2-0 going into the bottom of the seventh. Both Kansas City Monarchs runs were unearned, as they scored one run on a Mudcats error in the third inning, and another on a bases loaded walk in the seventh inning.
The Mudcats, however, did not quit, as Tanner Sears led off the bottom of the seventh with an infield single, and Sammy Cruz walked to get on base as well. With two runners on and two outs, Mudcats catcher Nathan Cupp delivered, hitting a two run double, his second extra base hit of the night, into center field to tie the score at 2-2. Here’s Matt Clark’s call of Cupp’s big hit as it happened live on KCHI.
As for the Mudcats pitching, Sungbin Park got the start on the mound for the Mudcats, and he pitched five innings, allowing one unearned run. Rafael Calcano picked up the win after pitching a scoreless ninth inning. The Mudcats defense was strong overall on the night, as the KC Monarchs left 14 runners stranded through the course of the game.
Chillicothe only mustered their three runs on five hits, and also made three errors combined, but they persevered to come out with the victory. They spoiled a shutout bid from KC Monarchs pitcher Steve D’Amico in the process, as he went 6.2 innings before finally giving up his first run of the night.
The Mudcats move to 10-16 overall, and 8-16 in the MINK League, but due to other results in the MINK League Friday night, they drop out of a playoff position. After an off day on Saturday, they will look to get that spot back by facing the Warren County Cropdusters, for are responsible for jumping Chillicothe in the MINK League standings, on Sunday night at Shaffer Park.
It’s a Sunday game, meaning it’s an early start time, as first pitch is slated for 5:05 p.m. Join the fun this summer by tuning in to every single Mudcats baseball game this season right here on KCHI and kchi.com
