A non-league matchup for the Chillicothe Mudcats on Monday night at Shaffer Park against the North Missouri Naturals had 27 combined runs, 27 hits, and 12 errors. The Mudcats escaped 14-13, with the Naturals leaving the bases loaded in the ninth inning.
It was a disastrous start for Chillicothe, who allowed seven runs in the top of the first. Two errors were scattered between three hits and three walks, knocking Mudcats starter Hayden Cox out of the game after recording only two outs.
The Mudcats offense went right to work, scoring two in the bottom of the first. Two triples in the third inning sparked a four-run frame that slimmed the Naturals lead to 8-6.
Five more Mudcats touched home plate in the fourth, as part of a six-hit inning. Nick Tampa, Aidan Baerenklau, Clayton Eskra, and Josh Rego each doubled as Chillicothe took the lead for good 11-8.
Chillicothe native Justin Pyle was also a critical part to the Mudcats biggest comeback this season. Coming out of the bullpen in the first inning, Pyle pitched 4.1 innings allowing one earned run. His stretch of 9 consecutive Naturals batters retired held them off while the offense heated up.
On three separate occasions in the final four innings, the Naturals would cut Chillicothe’s lead to a single run. They loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh, before Johanno Perdomo limited the damage to one run.
The Naturals managed to load the bases before an out again in the ninth. Perdomo struck out the next two batters, before allowing a single that cut the lead to 14-13.
Brock Falor was brought in to get the final out, and forced a ground ball to shortstop. The Mudcats fifth error of the game allowed the batter to reach, and re-load the bases. The next batter flared a ball into right field, where Baerenklau made a running catch to end the game.
14 runs and 16 hits were each season-highs for the Mudcats. After a six-game absence, Derin Doucet went 4-for-6 at the plate to log the first four-hit game by a Mudcat this year.
Chillicothe is now a season-best three games over .500 going into one of the biggest days of the season. On Tuesday, the first-place St. Joseph Mustangs visit Shaffer Park for a doubleheader. They are 13-1 in league play.
Winning Pitcher: Justin Pyle (1-0)
Losing Pitcher: Landon Wells
Save: Brock Falor (1)
Time of Game: 3:05
