Going To The Pipe Yard

North Coast 3, Chillicothe 2

This was the first game on the road for the newest edition of the Chillicothe Paints, but the desired result for this game wasn't achieved. Remember that saying "Don't worry! We'll get them next time!" because that applies here. Like everything else going into this season, the new Paints are going through a learning curve, and they're just getting used to the Prospect League. You try to establish a comfort zone for yourself when you're just starting out. This third game of the year was a special game in one aspect. The one special thing has to do with the state of Ohio.

In the entire history of Paints baseball, the Paints used to travel out to places all throughout Ohio in the early years, such as going to Newark, Portsmouth, Zanesville, and Canton. Of course over time, the Paints quickly became the only team left in Ohio in their respective league back in the day. However, let's jump to the present day and say that this was the first time in a long time that the Paints have actually played a team permanently based in the state of Ohio since playing the Canton Coyotes in 2003. Count the years up, and that equates to almost 6 years.

On the mound, Tony Davey made the start for the Paints. He went eight innings deep, and he pitched quite well considering the situation, giving up 3 runs, but not all of them were earned. Davey of Ohio Dominican University, gave up three hits, a walk, and commited an error. It wasn't so much because of Davey's pitching, but rather the unfortunate miscues made by the defense around him. You just have to shrug it off and keep going. The Paints' defense commited three errors in this game playing on a natural grass surface.

For the offense, the only run that crossed home plate for the Paints came off a wild pitch deep in the ninth inning, but by then, time was running a bit thin. The only hits made by the Paints came from Kyle Gendron, Steven Mirizzi, and Eian Banks. One other hit was added. Banks had a two-bagger. Overall, it was pretty tough to muster up offense facing the tall Jacob Helvey, who stood 6 foot 7 on the mound. Interestingly enough though, Helvey relied more on his off speed stuff than he did with his fastball pitches. In a few innings, Helvey made quick work of Chillicothe batters.

This game marked the first ever win by the North Coast Knights franchise, as they entered this game with an 0-2 record, but now they have a 1-2 record. This game marked the first ever loss by the Prospect League Paints, who now stand at 2-1. There's always a funny feeling about leaving your home ballpark. That's an adjustment that teams will make through the course of the year. Just get used to your surroundings and make the best out of what you have. Be a competitor out on the field and hope for the best. Speaking of funny feelings, I get that way too with the Paints. It's odd to go any stretch of time without seeing them play at home.

Checking on pictures of the ballpark in Lorain, Ohio, I have to say that the place has definitely improved since the last time I saw it. Just as recently as 2005, there was hardly anything at all with the ballpark in Lorain because there wasn't even official seating, but now it looks like a ballpark, and the reviews by some people are very much encouraging. The Pipe Yard fits the Prospect League, and I believe it will do a great service for this league. The Pipe Yard was originally intended to go after minor league baseball, but alas, those plans never got going. In comparison, they haven't had any problems with collegiate ball because they have hosted the Cleveland State baseball team in recent times.