Runs Coming In Bunches

Chillicothe 10, Richmond 1

Another game has been put into the books for the Paints of the Prospect League, and these Paints keep rolling along as we get closer to the dog days of the season. Everything came together pretty well in this game, and the Paints did a good job in every aspect of the game. The team looked solid throughout. They got the hits they needed. They got the pitches they needed. They got the defensive plays they needed. When you do just enough of everything in a ballgame, then chances are your team is going to win that ballgame. The Paints scored more than enough guys to get the victory here.

So how about those runs, you ask? Well, look no further than the very first inning of the game. The Chillicothe Paints scored 8 runs in the first inning alone, and only scored two more runs later on. You could say that the game was well in hand for the Paints right there after they got those 8 runs. The general mood of the crowd was great, especially for that 8 run rally, but after that, the mood died down alittle only because there wasn't much offense being scored in the other 7 innings for the offense. Rest assured though, the crowd was happy to see this result.

Clayton Schulz made the start for the Paints. In his start, he went 5 innings deep and gave up only one run on 3 hits and a walk allowed. He threw a wild pitch, but nothing was really hurting after that. He went on to strike out three batters. Blake Mascarello got into the game in relief and pitch two innings. He struck out one batter. Mark Williams came in and pitched an inning himself. He only threw a wild pitch, but kept the scoring at zero for the Riverrats. Chadd Steinborn pitched the last inning and only gave up a walk. He got the job done by retiring the Richmond batters one last time.

Those runs I talked about earlier came real quick, and maybe not in the blink of an eye, but you can believe that it was pretty close to that. The first batter of the game for the Paints was third baseman Kyle Galbraith, and he had two at-bats in the first inning. He had a single, a double, a stolen base, and he got an RBI. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a bunt single, a stolen base, and he also went deep for a two-run homerun in the eighth inning. Those were insurance runs tacked onto insurance runs, but really, that homerun by Brouse looked sharp.

DH Andrew Marshall had an infield RBI single. Center fielder Eian Banks had a pair of RBI's off a single. First baseman Matt Abro got an RBI off a fielder's choice. and managed to steal a base. Catcher Kris McDonough had a single. Overall, this was just another solid performance by the home team, and the Paints have showed quite a bit of what they're made of. They have a good foundation in place. In my opinion, I'm curious to know just how they stack up against the leader of the Western Division, the Quincy Gems. Unfortunately, we won't get to know the answer to that question for this regular season. So far, you have to say that the Chillicothe Paints are the only other team aside from the Quincy Gems who are making a considerable amount of noise.

I had the chance to talk to former Chillicothe Paints infielder Joe Spiers. He attended this ballgame, and I was glad to see him come back and visit. I asked him some questions, the basics like how he was doing and if he missed Chillicothe. Obviously, Joe misses Chillicothe. I know that Joe had a fun time playing here, and I truly appreciate what he did while he was here. Joe had to move on and play on another Frontier League team, and he ended up with the Washington Wild Things, and he was on their roster until recently. I could tell that he had a good time visiting. Whenever you get to this ballpark, you can tell that this is just a special place. It has that certain feeling and historical lure to it. I just want to say that Joe Spiers and others are more than welcome to visit the V.A. anytime they want. I'd love to sit down and chat with them again.