Red Hot Pitching at The Jack

Chillicothe 5, Slippery Rock 0

The competitive fire was burning for the Chillicothe Paints in this game, and so much so that the pitching staff especially showed some amazing fire from the mound, as the three pitchers who took that mound all did remarkable jobs in doing what they needed to do to help get the Paints a win here. Rest assured, I try not to exagerate anything because I know that the Slippery Rock Sliders were competing as well. I even tip my cap to those guys as they have really given the Paints tough times during this year, but thankfully for Paints fans, this game wasn't a rough time for the Paints.

Let's start with our starter Clayton Schultz. The youngster who is playing for North Florida University, had a great start. I believe that I can type this down with great assurance that this had to be one of Schulz's best starts so far this year. This win happens to be his fifth win of the year, so he's now 5-1 on the season.

Now if you want to talk about red hot pitching, then Schulz was definitely a catalyst for bringing the proverbial heat. He went 6 innings deep and gave up 5 hits and 4 walks, but the best thing is he didn't surrender a single run. Lest we forget about the strikeouts, Clayton Schulz had 9 of them here. I have to say that ever since I first saw him, I have been very impressed by the way Schulz can manage a game from the mound. He has that certain poise about himself that comes along with being an all-around gamer. When you develop as an athlete, and in this case, a baseball player, it's really good to know having someone like Schulz be impressive thus far this year

Now let's go to Eric Heckaman. Now Heckaman, on the other hand, has been on a roller coaster of sorts when it comes to the quality of his appearances. He has been on and off, to be more specific. Heckaman gave the team two innings of work, and he only gave up one hit. He would strike out a trio of batters, and the best thing is that he did his job. If you want to talk about red hot pitching, then Eric Heckaman did his part as well, being the second catalyst of the group.

Finally, here's Stephen Shackleford. Now of course, his first name and my first name are spelled differently, but that's nothing to worry about at all, since we're both pulling for the same team, and he's playing on it. Shackleford pitched the ninth inning and he just flat out blew away the Slippery Rock Sliders almost like a leaf blower does against a pile of leaves on the ground. He struck out the side with three consecutive strikeouts to secure the win for the Paints. Overall, the pitching staff had one of their best games this year, bar none. Again, I can type that statement down with great assurance.

Don't forget about the offense because you need some hitting to help get you to victory as well. Center fielder Kyle Galbraith had an RBI double in the fourth inning. Shortstop Ben Allen had an RBI bunt single in the sixth inning. Left fielder Andy Brouse had a double. Catcher Andrew Marshall had two singles. First baseman Kyle Gendron had a double. Right fielder Eian Banks had an RBI single. Third baseman Kyle Leonard had a single and got an RBI off a sacrfice fly in the second inning. Second baseman Tim Krofcheck had a bunt single, a stolen base, and got an RBI off a sacrifice fly of his own in the fourth inning.

This game was amazing to listen to. True, it may not have been a no-hitter kind of game, but it doesn't need to be anything like that to be amazing. This was exciting, and I have to give a ton of credit to all facets of the Paints for making this game that good entertainment wise. I liked what I heard and it reminded me of those simpler times that I had when I was at the V.A. in late 2005. Those were great times, and I guess you could say that slowly, but surely, we're getting back to those times. This is beginning to get more special, folks.