The Chillicothe Mudcats used two RBI base hits from Nathan Cupp, and another unearned run to edge the Sedalia Bombers, 3-2 in a MINK League Postseason Wild Card game on Monday night. The win for the fifth seeded Mudcats against the fourth seeded Bombers was Chillicothe’s first postseason win since 2019.
The Chillicothe Mudcats were one pitch away from sealing the game game to the MINK League divisional championship on Tuesday when the game was in the bottom of the ninth. Caleb Briggs came to the plate for the opposing Bombers, with a runner on second, and 2 outs. Rutherford delivered a pitch that would determine Chilliocthe’s postseason fate. Here’s the pitch as heard live on KCHI.
John Spoto’s catch in deep right field sealed the big win for the Mudcats, giving them win number seven on the road this season. Only five runs were scored on 21 total hits in the game on Monday night, as it was a tight game throughout. Chillicothe, however, was the only team to take a lead in the game.
They took a 1-0 lead after Nathan Cupp’s first RBI single drove in Hunter Shoutla in the second inning, with Shoulta scoring after he led off the inning with the single. The Mudcats then scored after a Sedalia error in the top of the fourth to make the score 2-0, with Shoulta scoring the second run as well. The error in the inning was forced after Jorey Anderson hit a double down the right field line.
The Mudcats then gave up back to back doubles in the bottom of the fourth, as Sedalia scored their first run of the game to make it 2-1. However, the Bombers left the bases loaded in the frame, and could have had more runs. Chillicothe would return the favor by loading the bases with nobody out in the top of the fifth. Unfortunately, a short fly out, a strikeout, and a groundout ended the inning without the Mudcats plating a run.
The next run would come in the bottom of the sixth, as Sedalia scored on an RBI single by Sedalia’s Conner Rice, which tied the score at 2-2. That would knock out Chillicothe starting pitcher Jordan Marlott, as Koby Linder would pitch the rest of the inning, in which the Bombers stranded the bases loaded once again.
The score would remain at 2-2 until Chillicothe’s Nathan Cupp stepped up to the plate in the eighth. Jorey Anderson started the inning with an infield single, and was moved over with a sacrifice bunt. Cupp’s base hit scored Anderson, and gave the Mudcats the lead for good. Here’s the call of Cupp’s clutch single as heard live on KCHI.
Chillicothe would send Rutherford to pitch the final two innings. Layne would remarkably work around a leadoff triple in the eighth, and leave that runner there, as the Bombers failed to score in the frame. Sedalia left 14 total runners on base, which ended up being their downfall. Rutherford would then keep hold of the lead in the ninth, earning him a six out save. It was Chillicothe’s third six-out save this season, and the third save the Mudcats have earned on the road this season.
Chillicothe had some players make exciting plays on the evening, but no player had a bigger game than Chillicothe’s catcher, Nathan Cupp, who will not be playing collegiate baseball following the 2024 MINK League season. After the game, Cupp described the emotions that went into tonight’s game, as he knew that the game against Sedalia could have been his final time behind the plate.
Chillicothe wins and advances to the MINK League Divisional Championship tonight. In the other Wild Card game on Monday night, #3 Jefferson City lost at home to #6 Carroll, 1-0. That means that, after a reseeding round, the Merchants will travel to play St. Joseph, while the Mudcats will go to Iowa for their Divisional Game.
That game will take place tonight, at 7:00, against the #2 overall seed in the playoffs, the Clarinda A’s. In the win-or-go-home matchup, the team that wins will play in the MINK League Championship series from Thursday to Saturday, playing against the winner of Carroll and St. Joseph. The loser will have their season cut short.
Chillicothe went 1-6 against Clairnda this season. They played the A’s twice last week, and went 1-1, with both games finishing as one run contests. Chillicothe is 0-3 at Eberly Field this season, losing two of the three contests there in walk off fashion. In the last two seasons, Clarinda has won 12 of the 14 matchups against Chillicothe.
If the Mudcats win and pull off the upset, they will advance to the MINK League Championship for the first time since 2010. Can they do it? Find out tonight by tuning in to the game live on KCHI and KCHI.com
