From the Bleachers

Chillicothe 4, Kalamazoo 9

The Kalamazoo Kings having been riding on highs so far this season, and it’s not just on the field either. For this game, the Kings drew 5,979 fans to Homer Stryker Field to cheer the home team on against the Chillicothe Paints. It was a rough day for the visiting Chillicothe Paints, as all of the pitchers that they used for this game plunked a total of 7 batters. The walks didn’t come in bunches, but the strike zone was still being missed.

Brian Gartley made the start for the Paints. Currently battling for a spot in the starting rotation, Gartley went 4 innings, giving up 5 hits, 2 walks and 5 runs. He struck out two batters and hit a batter. Things were tough for Gartley, as the Kings were really focused offensively, just as they have been all year.

Jeff Michael pitched one inning, and he gave up just one hit, but he plunked 3 batters and gave up 2 runs. Michael didn’t seem to have the control he needed to throw strikes in this game. Stpehen Spragg pitched the rest of the game, and he gave up a hit, two walks and two runs, while striking out one batter. He plunked 3 batters as well.

For the offense, the batters for the Paints popped out to Kings infielders on numerous ocassions. Kalamazoo starter John Brownell, who will be on the East Division roster for the All-Star Game, pitched a brilliant game, forcing Paints batters to make those type of swings. Brownell gave up only 3 hits and 3 runs, and only one of them earned runs.

Josh Blackstock had an RBI single. Jeff Vincent had a single and went deep for a solo home run. Adrian Cantu had a single. Drew Saylor had a double, extending his consecutive hitting streak to 9 games. Rob Vernon had a single and a stolen base. You could say that part of this was because the Paints didn’t take any batting practice before the start of this game.

Drew Saylor An All-Star?: I think I should make a case for Paints second baseman, Drew Saylor, to make the All-Star team for the East. Other than Billy Montram, second baseman for the Florence Freedom, there hasn’t really been a more consistent second baseman than Drew Saylor as far as production is concerned.

The only one who is close to Montram and Saylor would probably be Beach Bums second baseman Stephen Young, but when you look at Saylor’s resume so far this year, I think he deserves a spot on the team. Saylor previously went on a 10-game hitting streak, and now he’s on a new 9-game hitting streak. Saylor is batting in the .300’s, and he’s had 10 doubles and has had 26 RBI’s. Plus, Saylor’s durability has been very, very, impressive.

Chillicothe 12, Florence 8

Every team will have their highs and their lows during the regular season. What started as a big low for the Chillicothe Paints ended up being a high as they leave Champion Window Field. The familiar tone was set by the Freedom as they jumped out to a considerable lead over the Paints, and the score through 6 innings was 8-1 in their favor.

The thing is, the Paints came back for the last few innings, working their way back into the ballgame, and eventually, they took the lead and the win. The Paints lineup came up huge in one of the most unexpected ways. Outfielder Travis Storrer had to leave the ballgame due to personal reasons, so left with few options, pitcher Edwin Walker came into the game as the right fielder.

Jeff Vincent had a single, two doubles, and 2 RBI’s. Adrian Cantu had a pair of RBI singles. Travis Garcia had a good night. He came up big with an RBI double and went deep for two home runs, getting 4 RBI’s overall. Jon Poterson had a single and an RBI double. Rob Vernon had two infield singles. Bubba Garcia had a single and a double. Drew Saylor would eventually get into the ballgame, sore ankle and all, and would have an RBI single.

Now let’s talk about Edwin Walker for a minute. In the seventh inning, Walker was at the plate, and he got down to bunt with Adrian Cantu at third base, using the squeeze play. Walker managed to wheel out a bunt infield single, and he motored over the base paths. This had to be considered a critical play in the ballgame, because this would lead to bigger things for the Paints’ offense.

Taylor Cameron made the start for the Paints. He went 5 and 2/3 innings deep, giving up 8 runs on 9 hits allowed along with a walk, while striking out 4 batters. It was one of those hard nights for a pitcher who has to deal with the ballpark conditions such as something like Florence’s ballpark. Brian McCullough went 1 and 2/3 innings of relief, giving up two hits. Marty Wiesler pitched the rest of the game, going 1 and 2/3 innings, striking out 4 batters and giving up only one hit.

This was one of those games where it can be very uplifting for the players. You’re down 8-1, it’s late in the game, and things are looking kind of bleak. So when you happen to score 11 runs in only 2 innings, it should be encouraging. Paints manager Mark Mason says that the team wasn’t built to come back from behind from big defecits, so you have to tip your cap to the team doing this against Florence.

Chillicothe 3, Florence 5

Defeating the Florence Freedom has been such a hard task for the Chillicothe Paints this season. The Paints have beaten the Freedom only once out of eight games played between the two clubs. Most of the games have had Florence jump right out of the gate with some early runs, with the Paints having to play catch-up. Ryan Flanigan made the start for the Paints, making his first start of the year. He went 5 and 2/3 innings, giving up 8 hits and 4 runs while striking out 4 batters. He only walked one batter.

Stephen Spragg was given the ball in relief and pitched 1 and 1/3 innings, giving up a pair of hits, one of which was a home run. Edwin Walker pitched the eighth inning, and was solid again in relief. He hasn’t given up a run since June 14. On the opposite side, Florence’s pitching did a good job. For the early parts of the game, starter Josh Bruns was once again wheeling and dealing to Paints batters, forcing some awkward swings. Bruns switched it up with a good mix off-speed and fastball pitches.

For the offense, the Paints did hang in there for awhile, but they couldn’t seem to get the timely hits. Whatever good breaks were made, they were benefiting the Freedom. Josh Blackstock had a single. Adrian Cantu had a single. Travis Garcia had two singles and an RBI. Jon Poterson had a single.

Drew Saylor had an RBI single. Unfortunately, Saylor was injured while fielding a throw from catcher Kevin Butler to get Florence baserunner Garth McKinney out trying to steal. Both the ball and McKinney’s foot hit Saylor’s ankle at the same time. Saylor was in alot of pain noticably. Saylor has been getting banged up throughout the year with hit-by-pitches and foul balls. When Drew was taken out of the game, Richey Burgos played at third base, while Adrian Cantu moved to play second base. Cantu hasn’t played second base since the 2006 season.

Listening to the radio broadcast, Paints co-announcer Greg Bigam commented on the playing surface at Champion Window Field, saying that the infield is very hard, somewhat like a parking lot surface. Batted balls were taking really funny hops off the dirt. It may not be true, but Florence’s surface has been said to have one of the worst infield surfaces in the league.

The scoop: I’ll be honest when I say this…I believe the Paints may not have a deep enough offense to hang in there long with other teams in the Frontier League right now. I know you gotta give players some time to get out of slumps and develop and get settled into the lineup, but there’s something really sorely lacking in the Paints’ offensive punch at this point. It’s kind of noticeable. Whether that means the team needs another power hitter, or if it means the team needs to keep loading up on small ball, I think something could happen around the All-Star break.

Chillicothe 6, Florence 11

It was a tough game for the visiting Chillicothe Paints. Heading out to Champion Window Field in Florence, where it is known to be a great ballpark for hitters, the Paints couldn’t get settled in quick enough to prevent what happened. The Florence Freedom jumped on top on the oppurtunities presented to them in the first inning alone, pasting a 9 spot on the scoreboard, much to the delight of loyal Freedom fans.

Meanwhile, things never got going for Paints starter Andrew McCormick, as he lasted just 2/3 of an inning, giving up 5 hits, 3 walks and 8 runs. McCormick never got settled in on the mound and things unraveled after a broken bat single by Florence, which came after a home run. Luke Farden would pitch 5 and 1/3 innings in his long relief appearance. He gave up three home runs on 6 hits total, while walking three batters, and giving up 3 runs.

The Paints made a move recently in releasing pitcher Chris Lopez and signing pitcher Jeff Michael, who was formerly a member of the Evansville Otters. Michael went 2 innings in his relief appearance, striking out a batter and didn’t give up a hit. The main thing to note during Florence’s explosion of runs here was that outfielder Garth McKinney once again did considerable damage to Paints pitching, as he crushed 2 home runs in the same first inning. Second baseman Billy Mottram and first baseman Matt Hackney contributed as well.

For the Paints offense, Jeff Vincent had a single. Adrian Cantu had a single and a double. Travis Garcia had two singles. Drew Saylor had an RBI ground rule double and an RBI single. Rob Vernon, making his first start as a Paint, had a single. Catcher Kevin Butler had an RBI double and got another RBI off a sac fly.

One interesting thing to note was a hit that Jon Poterson had. In the eighth inning, Poterson not only broke his bat, but shattered it. However, he still managed to launch the ball off the outfield wall for a double. Previously, Jon went deep for a home run in the second inning, but this hit was more interesting. This odd double probably shows just how much strength Poterson has for this team. It’s been said that he’s the strongest player on the Paints.

Washington 2, Chillicothe 1

The Chillicothe Paints and Washington Wild Things were in a pitcher’s duel for this one. The action in the game was tight and the scoring was low, and both Andy Polk and Aaron Ledbetter were wheeling and dealing to opposing batters. Both starting pitchers seemed to be fired up for this game, as they both showed some emotion.

For Polk, he was bested by only one run. He gave up 2 runs on 6 hits allowed and gave up a pair of walks. He managed to strike out 4 batters in 7 and 1/3 innings of work. Washington manager Greg Jelks has carried his own gameplan of small ball from Evansville to Slippery Rock and now to Washington, as the Wild Things attempted bunts whenever runners got on base for them.

This was done fairly often by the Paints as well. The Wild Things led 1-0 until the fourth inning when the Paints tied the game up. Jeff Vincent had a single and a double. Drew Saylor had an RBI single, scoring Vincent who was rounding third base in the fourth. Travis Storrer had a single and an infield single. Jon Poterson had a single. Richey Burgos had a single. It was hard getting any batted balls by the tough pitching of Aaron Ledbetter, who is the all-time career wins leader in the Frontier League.

Coming in relief of Andy Polk was Edwin Walker, who pitched a solid 1 and 2/3 innings, giving up no hits and no walks at all, recording 5 K’s. Walker was in the zone in his appearance. He did a real good job of keeping Washington’s hitters off balance.

Also, of other things to note, Paints outfielder Montana Dye has announced his retirement. To fill the vacant roster spot, the Paints signed outfielder Rob Vernon. Vernon played for the traveling Midwest Sliders earlier this season, and in 20 games for them, he batted .257, getting 19 hits, 2 of them doubles and 1 of them a home run and had 5 RBI’s.

A dramatic moment of the ballgame occured when Polk hit Wild Things infielder Robbie Knapp. Knapp was knocked to the ground, as he was hit in the head with the pitch. It took him a few minutes to gather himself and get attended to. He was pinch-ran for the game. You don’t ever like to see anything like that happen. The scene looked pretty bad at first, but Knapp should be okay.

Washington 6, Chillicothe 2 (Game 1)

Washington 3, Chillicothe 9 (Game 2)

The Chillicothe Paints split a doubleheader with the Washington Wild Things. Due to interesting scheduling situations to begin the regular season, the Paints and Wild Things were left to have a doubleheader played at the V.A.

Now in the first game, things didn’t go according to plan. The team looked pretty flat from the start, as they couldn’t figure out Washington starting pitcher Mike Schellinger for most of the ballgame. Schellinger, for the record, had a no-hitter going until the fourth inning when Jeff Vincent singled. Travis Garcia had an infield single and a double. Drew Saylor went deep for a 2-run home run. Jon Poterson had a single. That was all the team could do.

Brian Gartley started the first game. He went 3 and 1/3 innings and gave up 6 hits and a walk, striking out two batters and gave up 4 runs. The Wild Things broke through in the third inning tacking on those four runs. Ryan Flanigan pitched 3 and 2/3 innings, giving up 5 hits and 2 runs while striking out three batters.

In the second game of the doublheader, it was a complete turnaround. The Paints were the ones playing solid baseball and the Wild Things were a bit flat. Josh Blackstock had a 2-RBI double. Jeff Vincent had a bunt single and an RBI single. Adrian Cantu had an RBI single. Travis Garcia had two singles and had an RBI off each of them. Drew Saylor had a single. Richey Burgos had a single. Kevin Butler had an infield single.

Travis Storrer made the most noise offensively in this game. He went deep twice for a pair of solo home runs. One went opposite field and the other one went the mormal direction. Storrer was swinging the ball very well in the second game. He put good wood on certain pitches. It’s safe to say that he felt just right.

Tommy Vrzal bounced back from his poor outing against Kalamazoo by pitching a much more solid game against Washington. Tommy went 4 innings and gave up just two hits and one run. Marty Wiesler came in relief and pitched 2 and 1/3 innings, giving up two hits, three walks, and 2 runs while striking out one batter. He was supported by a few fans that I like to call “Wiesler’s Crew”, as they are known to shout in support of Marty.

Wiesler got into trouble and ran out of gas, setting things up for Edwin Walker. Walker got the last two outs of the ballgame on a ground ball double play. Overall, this was the result that I was hoping for. In situations when you play doubleheaders, it’s always important that you win at least one of those two games. Splits are the next best thing to doubleheader sweeps. Both the Wild Things and the Paints got to play their style of baseball effectively in two seperate games. Game 4 of this series will be tommorow, as the Paints will hit the road afterword.

Washington 3, Chillicothe 10

How do you rebound from a lopsided loss to Kalamazoo? You hop right back on the saddle and score ten runs against your biggest rival. The Chillicothe Paints did just that, defeating the Washington Wild Things 10-3 in a game that did have some drama early, but later on things would settle down, with the Paints already doing their thing.

One key to this win for the Paints was the stellar start by righty Taylor Cameron. Cameron would go 5 and 1/3 innings, giving up 3 runs on 10 hits allowed, but struck out 4 batters, and that was as much as the Wild Things got. Stephen Spragg would pitch the rest of the ballgame. He went 3 and 2/3 innings, striking out two batters and giving up a hit and a walk.

For the offense, they had a really good night. It started off alitlle slow but everything picked up because of a big fifth inning rally. Josh Blackstock had a single. Jeff Vincent had a single. Adrian Cantu had an RBI single. Travis Garcia had three hits in this game. He had an infield single, a double, and in the fifth inning he crushed a pitch for a 2-run home run.

Drew Saylor had an unbelievable night. He went 5-for-5 in this game. He had 4 singles, 2 of which were infield singles, and a double, along with 3 RBI’s. Jon Poterson had a single. Montana Dye had a single. Overall, it took the offense a good string of hits to get a rally going, and things just happened to work themselves out for the better. Especially in a game when it’s against the Wild Things, that’s pretty impressive.

For the Wild Things, starter Brooks Dunn took the loss. The Paints did a good job on capitalizing on the mistakes that he made. This was just a solid win for the home team. Coming up next will be a doubleheader between the Paints and the Wild Things tommorow at 6:05 pm.

Here’s a video of Susan and me sumo wrestling at a River City Rascals game, recorded by Craig Cottrell:

Kalamazoo 15, Chillicothe 9

The Kalamazoo Kings pounced on Chillicothe pitching. The tone was set from the start, and the Paints had to play catch-up from the start. It’s a hard thing to do when you’re facing the best team in the league. Tommy Vrzal made the start for the Paints, but things just never got started for him in this game. He lasted just 1/3 of an inning, giving up 6 runs on 4 hits allowed, with 2 of those hits being home run shots to the right center field gap.

The Kings swung at almost everything. Brian McCullough had the same problems when he came into the ballgame. He went 4 and 2/3 innings, giving up 5 hits and 4 runs. Chris Lopez pitched one inning and gave up 3 hits and 4 runs. The Paints signed pitcher Luke Farden, and Farden made his debut in this game. Farden went 3 innings of relief, giving up two hits, a walk, and a run, while striking out 3 batters.

The main problem with Paints pitchers in this game was simply location. They didn’t seem to have real good control of their pitches. Vrzal just wasn’t ready from the start. McCullough did strike out 5 batters, but he was alittle wild with the strike zone. Chris Lopez was also alittle wild in his outing. Farden had a good first night on the team.

While the Paints signed Farden, they have announced the retirement of outfielder Jimmy Miles. The lineup had a more familiar look with Jeff Vincent batting second once again. Vincent had two singles and an RBI. Josh Blackstock had a single. Richey Burgos had a single and an RBI. Travis Garcia had three singles, a double and 2 RBI’s. Drew Saylor had two singles, a double and 2 RBI’s. Travis Storrer had two singles, a double and 2 RBI’s. Kevin Butler had two singles.

Other things to note would be that there was another light delay. The lights at the ballpark went out for the second time this season, and it took about half an hour. Former Paints starting pitcher Perry Cunningham attended the ballgame along with family and friends. It was nice to see Perry again, and it was nice for me to talk to him. The Paints will begin a four game series with their arch rivals, the Washington Wild Things, tommorow.

Kalamazoo 1, Chillicothe 3

The Chillicothe Paints and the Kalamazoo Kings battled it out in a tight duel of two pitchers, Andrew McCormick and Joe Depietro. Both McCormick and Dipetro were lights out for some time during this game. Only 3 hits were made altogether for a big part of the game. McCormick would go 7 and 1/3 innings, giving up 2 walks, 5 hits and 1 run while recording 5 K’s.

Meanwhile, Depietro kept Paints hitters in check and off balance for about half of the whole game. Jon Poterson belted a triple in the deep right center field gap. Jeff Vincent hit a smooth single straight up the middle. Bubba Garcia had an infield single in the eighth inning to start things off. Josh Blackstock was walked followed by a walk of Jimmy Miles to load up the bases. Then Adrian Cantu stepped in.

Cantu? Can do. Adrian hit a line drive double down the right field foul line to score all of the runners, clearing the bases and giving the Paints a lead they would not give up. Edwin Walker came in relief of McCormick and pitched 1 and 2/3 innings, striking out two batters. Walker was solid in his outing, and especially in the ninth inning when the Paints took the lead. Edwin really does help out the bullpen. He may not be one of the closers for the Paints, but he is a reliable arm to have when you need help.

This game was just as exciting as the last game, although it was a complete 180 from the offensive explosion. This was all about the pitching and defense, and it was important not to make a huge mistake in this game. It’s happened before when you have a ton of runs scored one night, but the next night you get hardly any runs. Plus, I still like the way Paints skipper Mark Mason is shuffling the lineup. True, it would be good to know what roles the guys will have when the lineups are out, but in this case, this lineup shuffling is doing the team some good right now.

Kalamazoo 10, Chillicothe 11

A walk-off intentional walk. How about that?

In a game that featured many twists and turns, you can chalk this game up as one of those close nailbiters. There were some lead changes early and late in the ballgame. For the ninth inning, Jeff Vincent pinch ran for Josh Blackstock, and stole a base. Though, this was the first time this season that a Paints player stole third base. Then Adrian Cantu was intentionally walked, but ball four happened to be a wild pitch, which scored Vincent to win the game for the Paints.

Jimmy Miles had a single and a bunt single. Cantu had an RBI triple and an RBI double. Travis Garcia played like Travis Garcia, having a good night, having two singles, a double, and an RBI. Drew Saylor had a really good night, going 4-for-5 with two singles and two doubles with 3 RBI’s. He extended his hitting streak to 10 games. Jon Poterson had an RBi off a sacrifice fly and had an RBI single. Catcher Bubba Garcia hit his first home run as a Chillicothe Paint. He also had a bunt single.

Andy Polk went 3 innings deep for the Paints, giving up 7 runs on 10 hits allowed and gave up a walk while striking out a pair of batters. Marty Wiesler came in for the next 3 innings and gave up 2 walks and plunked a batter, but struck out a batter and didn’t give up a run. Stpehen Spragg went 1/3 of an inning, giving up a solo home run and a walk. Edwin Walker went 1 and 2/3 innings in relief and gave up just one hit and one walk. The lefty Joe Brown gave up a game-tying 2-run home run and a walk, striking out one batter.

The name of this game here was offense. The Kings are so good at what they do. They’re solid at coming back and finding many ways to win ballgames. They have heavy swinging hitters who can put lumber on the ball, just what you’d expect from a Fran Riordan-managed club. The Paints did a real good job staying commited to playing small ball as numerous attempts were made at bunting.

Chillicothe 1, Traverse City 4

When a team travels to another ballpark to play, it’s a sure thing that adjustments are going to have to be made. At Wuerfel Park in Traverse City, Michigan, throughout the past few years, the Paints have had a hard time adjusting to this ballpark. With the new FieldTurf surface installed at the Bums’ ballpark before this year, it is pretty hard for FL hitters in general to make an impact.

The Paints in this series at Traverse City only scored 3 runs total. They ran into three of the Beach Bums’ strongest arms, Bryan Rembisz, Ryan Gehring and David Nathanson. It’s also pretty tough when you have to deal with outfielder Mike Goetz, who has been hitting the cover off the ball lately. Don’t forget about Steve Young, Jake Whitesides, or Mike Epping as well.

Brian Gartley made the start for the Paints, and things went fine early until the fourth inning, when things got out of hand. Gartley gave up 3 runs on 7 hits allowed and gave up a walk while striking out a pair of batters. he went 4 and 1/3 innings and then gave way to Stephen Spragg, who went 1 and 2/3 innings in relief giving up a hit and striking out a batter. Ryan Flanigan pitched the rest of the game and gave up a pair of hits, a walk, and a run while striking out a batter.

The offense for the Paints struck out a total of 9 times in this game. Josh Blackstock had a single. Jimmy Miles had an infield bunt single. Jeff Vincent had a stolen base. Adrian Cantu had a single. Drew Saylor had a single. Statistically, Saylor is currently on a 9-game hitting streak. Travis Storrer went deep for a solo home run. Kevin Butler had a ground rule double and a single. The Paints will return home to face the Kalamazoo Kings, who are currently leading the East Division.

The New York Yankees called up former River City Rascal Justin Christian from AAA today.

Christian becomes the third former River City player to reach “The Show”, joining Josh Kinney and Joe Thatcher, and the second former Frontier League player to play for the Yankees this season; former Gateway pitcher Scott Patterson was the first.

Chillicothe 0, Traverse City 5

The Traverse City Beach Bums pounced on the pitches taylor Cameron threw in this game. It was one of those games where the early runs set the tone for the rest of the game. The Beach Bums got their first two runs in by an infield single, a triple, and a groundout. Cameron gave up 8 hits, a walk, and 5 runs. He struck out 4 batters. Brian McCullough would make a relief appearance and would pitch for the rest of the game.

For the offense, the Paints could only muster up 5 hits. Jimmy Miles batted leadoff at DH and had a single. Travis Garcia had a single. Adrian Cantu had a single. Drew Saylor had a single. Travis Storrer had a single. Beach Bums starter Ryan Gehring had everything going for him in the ballgame. He is statistically a much better pitcher at Wuerfel Park than he is on the road. It showed as he kept the Paints’ offense off balance throughout the game. The defense for the Paints had an off night, as 3 errors were commited.

The Paints and Beach Bums will have a rubber match tommorow at Wuerfel Park at 7:05 pm.

Chillicothe 2, Traverse City 1

In his first game back from rolling his ankle, Paints first baseman Jon Poterson made a quick impact on his return. It was Poterson who provided the only runs for the Paints, but the two Jon drove in were just enough for Chillicothe to work with. Poterson blasted a 2-run home run over the cavernous Wuerfel Park fences, along with a double and a single, needing only a triple to hit for the cycle.

Jeff Vincent had a single, but unfortunately, that went off Beach Bums pitcher Bryan Rembisz’s leg, taking Rembisz out of the ballgame. Travis Storrer had a single. Drew Saylor was the only other Paints batter to have more than one hit. He had a single and a double, but was called out trying to stretch that into a triple. Saylor had a rough night as he got roughed up, being beaned in the ribs again and he shook off pain in his hand as well.

For the pitching, Tommy Vrzal made the start for the Paints. He went 5 and 1/3 innings and held his own, giving up one run, though that run scored because of a Jimmy Miles error, 4 hits and 3 walks, but otherwise, he pitched a solid game. He struck out three batters. Marty Wiesler came in relief and pitched 1 and 2/3 innings, giving up just a walk while striking out a pair of batters. Lefty veteran Joe Brown pitched the rest of the game, going 2 innings, and gave up just a hit, while mowing down the Bums’ order in the ninth inning with back-to-back strikeouts.

It’s not only nice to see Jon Poterson back in the Paints lineup, it’s also nice to see how much he really has improved compared to last season. I believe he has made some strides both on offense and defense. It really is showing. He shows quick footwork fielding at first base and is more alert. His bat is also coming around. I really like how patient he is at the plate, and also that he puts the ball in play. Way to go, Jon.

Florence 5, Chillicothe 2

Before I begin, I’d just like to thank Tim and Stan for welcoming me on their radio show earlier today and I had fun just being a part of it. I encourage others to call in to get on the show.

Rain Delay Entertainment: The rain kicked in around the second inning, and then the lightning showed up soon after that. The delay took up just about 2 hours, so everybody needed something to do while they were waiting for the game to resume. Members of the Paints and the Freedom took part in one of the most hilarious variations of the Chicken Dance in recent memory. Freedom infielder Angel Molina put paper cups over his ears, while two other Freedom players put towels over their heads. Paints pitcher Ryan Flanigan did his usual thing of breakdancing, which took a bit of energy.

Now for the game: Oh yeah, the game. Well, you had the twists and the turns, and then some big plays made by Florence when it mattered. Some of the damage made by the Freedom was in the second inning when two runs crossed the plate for them on groundouts. The top of the seventh inning also saw some fireworks from Florence, as the usual contributors, such as Garth McKinney, Angel Molina and Ryan Basham, all pitched in to make a charge on offense.

Andrew McCormick made the start for the Paints, and he went 7 innings, giving up 3 hits and 4 walks while striking out four batters. He would give up 5 runs. Edwin Walker made a relief appearance. It was another case of Florence’s offense once again jumping on Chillicothe’s pitching and getting in the runs often. McCormick was kinda shaky in his outing. The weather can sometimes effect player performances, but that won’t be used as an excuse or the reason.

For the offense, the Paints had alot of singles, and station to station baseball, but the offense couldn’t do much with what they had. Jaziel Mendoza was put on the disabled list and in return, the Paints signed speedy outfielder Jimmy Miles out of Old Dominion University. Miles had two singles. Josh Blackstock had a bunt single. Travis Garcia had a single. Travis Storrer had a single. Drew Saylor had an RBI double. Bubba Garcia had a single. Miles, though, did make a big error in the seventh to help score the three runs for Florence.

The Paints outhit the Freedom, but the Freedom got in the more important hits. When you have guys in scoring position, it is important to get them in somehow. The Paints had some oppurtunities, but they didn’t take advantage of them. I do like what I see from the new guys the Paints have signed. I have a good feeling about both Richey Burgos and Jimmy Miles. They just need time to get comfortable. Once they settle in and play to their abilities, we’ll see what happens from there.

Florence 4, Chillicothe 3

This game between the Florence Freedom and Chillicothe Paints was close throughout the game. The margin was only as high as 3 runs at one point. The only inning that really made the difference was the second inning, when the Freedom tacked on 3 runs to take the lead, 3-1. Florence broke through starting with a 2-run home run shot by outfielder John Welch, followed by one more run. It stayed that way for awhile until later on.

Aside from that rough second inning, starting pitcher for the Paints, Andy Polk, really did have another solid outing otherwise. Andy went 7 and 1/3 innings, and gave up 3 runs on 6 hits allowed and also gave up a pair of walks. He recorded 5 K’s. He kept the Paints in the ballgame the best way he could. Marty Wiesler would pitch for the rest of the game, going 1 and 2/3 innings, giving up one run and beaning a batter.

For the offense, Jeff Vincent had two singles and a stolen base. Travis Garcia didn’t have a hit, but he got 2 RBI’s from a sac fly and a bases loaded groundout. Adrian Cantu had an RBI double and a stolen base. Drew Saylor had two singles. Jon Poterson had a pinch-hit at-bat in the ninth inning, and got a single in his only plate appearnce, so Jon is feeling better from that ankle.

The Paints did make things interesting late in the game. Saylor led off with a base hit. After Poterson got in his hit, Josh Blackstock grounded out. Jeff Vincent drew a walk. Garcia grounded out, scoring that run to make it a 4-3 ballgame. Adrian Cantu was intentionally walked to get to Montana Dye, who has been going through an offensive slump lately. Dye would try to beat out a throw from the Freedom second baseman, but couldn’t get to the first base bag. It was game over.

It wasn’t that bad of a game at all if you look hard at the stats. The Paints commited just one error on defense. They played small ball pretty good tonight. They did put lumber on the ball, it’s just that those batted balls went straight to the Florence defense. Nothing much else they could do than what they did. The rubber match between the Paints and Freedom will be tommorow at 6:35 pm.

Florence 3, Chillicothe 6

The Chillicothe Paints defeated the Florence Freedom for the first time this season by a score of 6-3, playing fundamentally sound baseball. The Paints got the breaks they needed in this game, as they got in the timely hits and made the key plays.

Josh Blackstock had a single. Jeff Vincent went deep for a solo home run past the right center field fence. Travis Garcia had two singles and 3 RBI’s. Adrian Cantu had two singles and a stolen base. Montana Dye had a single and an RBI double. Richey Burgos had a single. Drew Saylor had a single. Bubba Garcia had two singles. The Paints did a good job of laying down bunts, staying commited to the small ball style of play.

For pitching, Brian Gartley turned in a solid performance from the mound, as he went 7 and 2/3 innings, giving up 6 hits, a walk and 3 runs while recording 5 K’s. Gartley looked really good in this game. He couldn’t have given it a better effort than what he gave in this game. To begin the year, he was really shaky, but it looks like Gartley is starting to come around.

Then came Flanny. Ryan Flanigan pitched 1 and 1/3 innings to relieve Gartley, and Flanigan got the job done, recording his seventh save of the year. He gave up just one hit and struck out one batter. We haven’t seen Ryan pitch in awhile, so it was nice to see him get some action on the mound again. Overall, this was a nice and pleasant day at the ballpark.

Midwest 3, Chillicothe 4 (13 innings)

For sure, this was a long one. The Paints and Sliders battled it out in this rubber match of the three game series. The Paints led early in the game, then the Sliders got back into it and took control. The Paints then tied it up. Then, there was this long struggle late in the game to push just one more run across the plate. Thankfully, the Paints finally got their run in.

Josh Blackstock had the game-winning double to drive in Drew Saylor, along with a single. Jeff Vincent had two singles. Travis Garcia had a single. Adrian Cantu, playing first base, had an RBi single and an RBI double. Montana Dye had a single. Travis Storrer had a triple. Richey Burgos started at third base and had three singles along with an RBI and a stolen base. Drew Saylor had two singles.

Taylor Cameron made the start. He lasted 3 and 1/3 innings, giving up 7 hits, a walk, and 3 runs while beaning a batter. He struck out two batters. Stephen Spragg was the key to this Paints win. He made his longest ever relief appearance, if you can call it a relief appearance, going 7 and 2/3 innings, recording 7 K’s and walking just one batter. Spragg did not give up any hits at all, in a span from the 4th inning to the 12th inning. I guess that’s what you call “clutch pitching.” Edwin Walker pitched the last inning and gave up just one hit and one walk, while striking out two batters.

In the later parts of the game, the umpires seemed to lose alittle bit of focus, as their calls kept getting more questionable. There were alot of close calls and some calls were kinda easy to make. Both coaching staffs argued certain calls. Things were getting alittle dramatic late in the game. The pitching duel between Spragg and Sliders pitcher Ryan McFarlane was a very good display of pitching, in my opinion.

Midwest 8, Chillicothe 7

This was a wild game, and it was an interesting game to keep track of. The Chillicothe Paints lost to the Midwest Sliders, but the game was played hard by both clubs. The Paints hung tough throughout the game, it’s just that they didn’t get as many good breaks as the Sliders got.

The hits for the Paints lineup was scattered. Josh Blackstock had an RBI single. Jeff Vincent had a triple and an RBI infield single. Travis Garcia had a single, an infield single, an RBI, and a stolen base.Adrian Cantu had a real good night, as he had 3 doubles and 3 RBI’s. Drew Saylor had a single and a stolen base. Bubba Garcia had an infield single.  The Paints signeda new player. They signed Richey Burgos, who played at DH in this game. He had a single and looked pretty good swinging the bat in his debut.

Tommy Vrzal made the start for the Paints. He didn’t have his best stuff on the mound for this game. He went 3+ innings, giving up two walks, 6 hits and 4 runs. For the next 3 innings, Brian McCullough gave up 5 hits, a walk, and 4 runs, while striking out one batter. Chris Lopez and Marty Wiesler made appearances as well. Wiesler recorded 5 K’s and gave up just one hit.

Overall, it was just one of those back-and-forth games that could’ve gone either way. You gotta give credit to Midwest for being on the ball for this game. The rubber match between the Paints and Sliders will be tommorow. Also, I’d like to give a shoutout to Jeff Hilliard, loyal Sliders fan who is part of their ownership group. I had a real good time talking with him.