Double Trouble at Home

-Prospect League News-

Slippery Rock 2, Chillicothe 0 (Game 1)

Slippery Rock 3, Chillicothe 1 (Game 2)

Sometimes, the ball really doesn't bounce your way at all. It always happens eventually. For this doubleheader in front of the home crowd in Chillicothe, the Paints just couldn't get anything going. For the first time in quite a while, the Paints actually looked somewhat vulnerable when it comes to the setup of their approach. Two losses in one day against the then second place team Slippery Rock Sliders at your own backyard is something that wasn't drawn up by any means. This was an off day for the Paints, and the thing is, they just couldn't catch a break when they tried to get a rally going.

Ton Bertucci made the start for the first game of the doubleheader for the Paints. At first, he was doing just fine until later on in his outing as he was getting hit hard by the opposing offense, and not so much as in giving up a ton of runs, but more like a good string of methodically hit balls. Bertucci went 5 and 2/3 innings in his start, giving up two runs. One of them was a solo homerun shot past the left center field wall early on. He gave up 5 hits and one walk overall.

For the Sliders, Andrew Morris was doing a real solid job of pitching. Maybe I could use the phrase "He was sizzling" in this game, because for 3 and 2/3 innings of his start, Morris had a no hitter going. A great tip of the cap to Morris for his fantastic start. He did exactly what he had to do to give his team a lift after what they went through at their home ballpark two days before this day.

For relief, the Paints gave Blake Mascarello two separate appearances in this doubleheader. In the first game, Mascarello went 1 and 1/3 innings and only plunked a batter while striking out two batters. In the second game, he went 4 innings deep in relief, giving up only one hit and again, striking out two batters. Overall, this was quietly a good day for Blake Mascarello.

Now let's talk about the offense for the Paints.

The offense sputtered in both of the games, and there was no rythym established.

The Paints went down in order through the first three innings in the first game, while it felt more like an up and down roller coaster for the offense in the second game. Combining the two games, Kyle Galbraith had an RBI double. Andy Brouse had a single. Eian Banks had a double. Shortstop Ben Allen had a single for each game. Tim Krofcheck had a single. Zach Frentsos had a stolen base. The second game of the doubleheader saw the debut of Kris McDonough. McDonough is listed on the Paints roster as a catcher, but he was in the lineup as the DH.

Chalk this day up as an off day. That's what it was for the hometown team. If I could take note of anything that really looked interesting, then I would have to point out the solid defense played by shortstop Ben Allen. I saw quite a lot of hustle out of Allen when he was chraging after the ball to make plays. He was almost all over the middle infield. He had to go to work early because there were ground balls that kept going over to him. There's something about Ben Allen that I think I'm going to like. I'm beginning to notice the poise that Ben Allen brings to the club. He's just not the type who gets rattled easily, and I like that. Even though he batted ninth in the lineup for both games, he made the biggest impact in this off day.