With nine hits on Sunday night in Nevada, the Chillicothe Mudcats continued their offensive frenzy with a 9-4 win over the Griffons. John Spoto was 3-for-4 and tripled for his first extra-base hit, while Brock Falor slugged two doubles to drive in three runs.
Chillicothe got on the scoreboard first with two runs in the third inning. Nevada made their first of four errors handling a Jarian Pinckney single in center field, which scored the first run. With Pinckney all the way to third, Peyton Becker brought him home with a sacrifice fly.
That gave a 2-0 lead to Mudcats starting pitcher Blake Exizian, who did not allow a hit through his first three innings. There was a close call in the second inning, when Frandie Fernandez robbed a home run over the short fence at Lyons Stadium.
Similar to his first start on June 14 against Carroll, errors behind Exizian led to unearned runs. The Griffons scored a run off an error in the fourth and fifth inning to tie the game 2-2.
That did not last for long, as Chillicothe poured on five runs in the sixth to take the lead for good. Jordi Ventura and Falor each doubled, and two Griffon errors helped open the door to the big frame.
While Exizian did not pitch after that, he was able to qualify for his first win. He pitched five innings with no earned runs on only two hits. The Mudcats bullpen protected the 7-2 lead the final four innings, combining Joshua Rego, Luke DeWitt, and Ryotara Hirayama. Between them, Nevada mustered one earned run on one hit.
Spoto came mere feet shy of his first home run with a ninth inning triple, and scored on a Falor double. That capped off quite the day for Falor, who was 2-for-4 with his first two extra-base hits and three runs driven in.
Defensively, Falor also recorded the best day in the field a Mudcats third baseman has had through 14 games. With plenty of action coming his way, he made six assists.
Sunday’s win also saw Mudcats fifth-year head coach Tyler Hudlow record a significant milestone. It was his 85th win in Chillicothe, which is now the most all-time. He surpassed Tai Mitchell, who led the team from 2014-16.
For the first time this season, the Mudcats have a winning record in league play. They improved to 6-5 in the M.I.N.K., and will return to Shaffer Park on Monday night to play a non-league game against Kirksville.
Winning Pitcher: Blake Exizian (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: Cameron Patterson (0-1)
Time of Game: 2:38
