In a Saturday night doubleheader at Jefferson City, the Chillicothe Mudcats had a mixed performance. In game one, they started strong, taking a commanding 7-0 lead after the second inning. Designated hitter Tanner Sears hit a two-run home run to extend their lead. However, Jefferson City mounted a comeback in the sixth inning, scoring six runs to take an 11-10 lead. In the top of the seventh, the Mudcats tied the game at 11-11, and Sears hit a solo home run in extra innings to give them a 12-11 lead. He then came in to close the game and successfully secured the win, despite loading the bases with two outs.
Game two was a different story for the Mudcats. Jefferson City dominated early, scoring eight runs in the first two innings to take an 8-0 lead. In the second inning, Jefferson City’s Aiden Baumann hit a grand slam.
In a lopsided affair, the Mudcats used multiple position players to pitch, and even regular pitchers had their first at-bats of the summer. In the end, the Mudcats lost 18-2.
On Sunday night, Chillicothe had a difficult game against the Clarinda A’s. Reeling from the difficult late night loss the prior evening in Jefferson City, the Mudcats had dealing with a shortage of pitchers. As a result, they had to use position players on the mound for the third time over a one week frame. Clarinda raced away for the win in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring 12 runs, taking a commanding lead of 15-3. The Mudcats managed to score a run in the seventh inning but ultimately fell 15-4.
RHP Jake Young started the game for the Mudcats and pitched well overall, lasting five innings and allowing three earned runs. The offense had a decent start, with left fielder Luca Boscarino performing well, going 2-3 with a double and two RBIs. Second baseman Chris Carratala also contributed by driving in a run with a sacrifice fly in the second and seventh innings. However, the focus of the game seemed to be the disastrous sixth inning for the Mudcats.
The two-game series for the Mudcats in Clarinda continues on Monday night, with a make-up game from a rainout from early June.
