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Pinch Hit Grand Slam Completes Mudcats Comeback

Tanner Sears hit a pinch-hit grand slam in the eighth inning, as the Chillicothe Mudcats erased a five-run deficit to defeat the Sedalia Bombers 8-7 on Thursday night.

 

The first of Chillicothe’s season-high three home runs came in the top of the first inning, when Jordi Ventura obliterated a ball into the trees behind right field to give the Mudcats a quick 1-0 lead.

 

Chillicothe’s starting pitcher Caleb Bergman stranded two base runners in the bottom of the first, and wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the second inning.

 

The Bombers finally got to Bergman for two runs in the fourth, and in the fifth, got the first four men to the plate on base to knock him from the game.

 

Brady Graskewicz limited the damage there to just three runs, and gave up a run of his own in the sixth inning which put the Bombers in front 6-1.

 

The Mudcats offense had gone cold after their early home run. From the second through seventh innings, Chillicothe managed just two hits.

 

In the eighth, they awoke from their slumber for one of their biggest innings this year. Jarian Pinkney tucked a ball inside the left field foul pole for his team-leading fourth home run that made it 6-2.

 

Peyton Becker scored on an error after a double, and Blake Exizian hit a sacrifice fly to cut Sedalia’s lead to two.

 

A hit batter and walk loaded the bases, bringing Tanner Sears into the game to pinch hit. Swinging on the first pitch, he drove it over the right field wall for an opposite-field grand slam that gave Chillicothe the lead 8-6.

 

The Bombers got a run back in their half of the eighth against Ryotara Hirayama. Using a one-out triple, Sedalia ended the longest scoreless innings streak for a pitcher in Mudcats history.

 

Hirayama began this season with 22.1 shutout innings, which is more than any Chillicothe pitcher has achieved in the team’s 24-year existence.

 

To preserve their 8-7 lead, the Mudcats brought Tanner Sears to the mound to close it out. After a deep fly ball to center field, Sears struck out the next two batters for his league-leading sixth save.

 

Chillicothe concludes their season series with the last-place Bombers winning four of the five games. The Mudcats also regained their tie with Clarinda for second place in the M.I.N.K league. They are back home Friday night against the Carroll Merchants.

 

Winning Pitcher: Ryotara Hirayama (5-0)

Losing Pitcher: Keith Piepmeier (0-1)

Save: Tanner Sears (6)

Time of Game: 2:23

Box Score