Tanner Sears doubled in the winning run in the top of the eleventh inning, and saved the game on mound as the Chillicothe Mudcats downed the Clarinda A’s 3-2 on Wednesday night.
The first run of the game was provided by a Sears double also, giving the Mudcats a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. He then went behind the plate, catching for the third time this season.
His first battery mate of the evening was Joshua Rego, making his first start after six relief outings. The left-hander from Hawaii did not allow a hit until the third, holding onto Chillicothe’s slim lead.
Clarinda broke through in the fourth inning, although Rego limited a bases loaded no-out situation to only one run for the A’s.
The first batter of the fifth, Jarian Pinckney, homered to immediately put the Mudcats back out ahead 2-1. It was his third home run of the season, and his second at Clarinda Municipal Stadium.
Rego pitched the fifth to qualify himself for the win, and Johanno Perdomo held the A’s scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings.
In the eighth, the Mudcats turned to the ace of their bullpen in Ryotara Hirayama, who has yet to allow an earned run. With a runner on first, a Clarinda single was bobbled by two Chillicothe outfielders, which allowed a run to score and tie the game.
The 2-2 tie withstood the ninth and tenth innings, leading to the automatic runner from second base in the eleventh. The Mudcats scored theirs with Sears’ second double of the game, but stranded him to score only one.
After catching the first 10 innings, Sears went to the mound to nail down the win. He blew away the A’s in order, striking out the last two to end the game. It goes down as his fifth save of the summer.
Chillicothe secures the season series with Clarinda, winning the first four of the six-game slate. Their pitching has held the best statistical offense in the M.I.N.K. to a combined six runs through four contests.
Now just one game behind the A’s for second place, the Mudcats will take their four-game win streak into a hostile environment in St. Joseph for a Thursday night showdown.
Winning Pitcher: Ryotara Hirayama (4-0)
Losing Pitcher: Jacob Fox (0-1)
Save: Tanner Sears (5)
Time of Game: 2:31
