The Chillicothe Mudcats opened the 2026 campaign with a split of the doubleheader on Tuesday against the Nevada Griffons at Lyons Stadium in Nevada, Mo.
This doubleheader comes after the scheduled games on Sunday and Monday were both rained out. One game from the scheduled three-game series will still need to be made up at a later date. Both games were seven innings on Tuesday.
Game one started with both teams stranding the bases loaded in the first inning and both going quietly in the second inning.
In the third inning, the Mudcats got two runs courtesy of rbi singles from Jackson Neilitz and JP Gonzalez.
In the fourth, Canon Creason and Cole Adair both hit back to back singles with two outs followed by a three-run homerun from Taydem Hashimoto, his first of the year. 5-0 Mudcats was the score at this point.
Chillicothe added one more run in the fifth inning. In the seventh, the Mudcats sent 10 guys to the plate adding four runs onto their total.
The Mudcats ended up winning the first game by a final of 10-0 behind a great start on the mound from Koby Wagers, throwing 5 shutout innings, and Eli Osmon coming in relief, and shutting down the final two.
GAME 2
Game two brought less fortune for the Mudcats in Nevada.
Christoper Marrero toed the rubber for the Mudcats and only got through a third of an inning giving up nine earned runs on five walks and four hits. It was a 9-0 Nevada lead after the first inning.
The Mudcats responded with a run each in the second and third, the Griffons also tallied on two of their own in the third.
After four innings the scoreboard read 11-2 in favor of the Griffons.
After that it was all Chillicothe the rest of the way. The Mudcats got three runs in the fifth and four runs in the sixth, and only trailed 11-9 after the sixth inning.
In the seventh, Canon Creason led off the inning with a walk and Cole Adair smashed a triple to the deepest part of the park in right-center field. This cut the lead for the Griffins to one run with the tying run at third.
After the Griffons recorded the first out of the inning, Nick Blakeney chopped one right back up the middle where Nevada Shortstop Miguel Salazar made an incredible play to field it and throw out Adair at the plate to prevent the Mudcats from tying the game.
The Griffons ended up winning the game 11-10 after the very next batter grounded out to first.
Following Tuesdays doubleheader, the Griffons improve from their 0-3 start to 1-4. The Mudcats begin the 2026 season with a 1-1 record.
Chillicothe is back in action on Wednesday, June 3, for its home opener taking on the Kansas City Monarchs, 7:05 p.m. first pitch at Shaffer Park.