The Chillicothe Mudcats made the road trip up to Carroll, Iowa on Saturday and lose in blowout fashion to the Carroll Merchants at Merchants Park.
Things got off to a rocky start from the get-go. After the Mudcats stranded two runners in the top of the first, the Merchants immediately struck for four runs, capped off by a two-run home run over the left field wall by the Merchants Catcher, Jaxson Book. 4-0 was the Merchant lead after one inning of play.
Things did not get any better for the Mudcats after that, Chillicothe went down scoreless in the top of the second, and then the Merchants tallied on five more in the bottom half of the frame capped off by an Austin Gabrielson two-run double to make it 9-0 after two innings of play.
In the third, the Mudcats were set down in order, and the Merchants added four more in the bottom of the third highlighted by a Drew Owen RBI single in the inning, as well as two of the other three runs scoring on a balk and an error. 13-0 Merchants after three innings.
The Merchants put one more on the board in the fifth thanks to a Braylen Nystrom RBI walk, 14-0 Carroll.
That’s all she wrote for Chillicothe on Saturday, the Mudcats were shutout and run-ruled by the Merchants in seven innings by the final score of 14-0.
Chillicothe will hit the field again on Sunday in Carroll against the Merchants in the second game of the weekend series with the Merchants. 4:00 p.m. first pitch from Merchants Park on Sunday.