Paints Win Third Straight, Beat Mill Rats 5-3
(Photo by Cory Hall)
Recap courtesy of the Chillicothe Paints:
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - The Chillicothe Paints, presented by Adena Health System, used stellar pitching and double-digit hits to beat the Johnstown Mill Rats 5-3 Saturday night at VA Memorial Stadium.
Johnstown got on the board in the top of the third with a one-out, bases-clearing triple by Jake Casey, giving the Mill Rats an early 2-0 lead.
In the bottom half of the fourth, the Paints tied the game. After three walks in a row to start the inning, Hunter Klotz hit a single to right, scoring Kade Wroot and Tim Orr. Jake Reifsnyder followed with an RBI single of his own, giving the Paints a 3-2 lead, one they would not relinquish.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Paints would add to their lead on a single by Orr, scoring Owen Wilson and making the score 4-2 after five innings.
After 5 1/3 innings of work, Chillicothe starter Sebastian Escobar exited the game - he struck out nine, walked two, and gave up two runs. Anthony Steele came out of the bullpen in relief and sent the Mill Rats back scoreless.
The Paints added to their lead in the bottom of the sixth with a Nate Dorinsky single that scored Reifsnyder, extending the lead to 5-2.
In the top of the eighth, DJ Alexander led off the inning with a double, later scoring on a single by Randy Carlo IV and bringing the Mill Rats to within two at 5-3.
Evan Wolf struck out two batters in the ninth, giving the Chillicothe staff 15 on the night, earning his fourth save of the season and sending the Paints to their third win in a row.
The Paints are back in action Sunday afternoon in Johnstown, where they will play games two and three of their series with the Mill Rats. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
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Recap courtesy of the Johnstown Mill Rats:
CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – The Chillicothe Paints used 15 total strikeouts on the mound to help defeat Johnstown 5-3 in Prospect League action on Saturday, giving the Mill Rats their third straight loss.
Paints starter Sebastian Escobar (3-0) struck out nine batters over 5 1⁄3 innings, allowing just two runs on two hits to earn the victory. Anthony Steele and Evan Wolf combined to fan six Mill Rats in relief, with Wolf earning his fourth save of the season.
Johnstown held a 2-0 lead through three innings on a two-run triple by Jake Casey. The Mill Rats were then held to just one hit until the eighth, when DJ Alexander doubled and scored on a Randy Carlo single.
After throwing three scoreless innings to start the game, Will Knight (4-2) surrendered three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth. He gave up seven hits while walking three and striking out two. The Paints tallied one run off of Mill Rats reliever Tim Crum in the fifth.
Alexander scored twice and stole a base for the Mill Rats. Crum tossed three innings of relief, allowing one run on three hits while walking three and striking out one.
With the win, Chillicothe (30-17, 9-7) moves into first place in the Ohio River Valley division standings. Johnstown (20-27, 8-8) drops to second by one game.
The Mill Rats host the Paints to begin a six-game homestand at 3 p.m. Sunday at Sargent's Stadium at the Point.