SOSA Staff Report
CHILLICOTHE — If the Chillicothe Paints are going to win the 2019 Prospect League Championship, they’re now going to have to do so with two straight wins in Missouri.
The Paints fell to the Cape Catfish Saturday evening by a 6-3 final, a game they never led in.
Cape wasted no time getting on the board when Curtis Washington Jr. hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning. Chillicothe struck back in the bottom of the second when Trey Smith knocked in Cole Andrews with an RBI double, tying the score 1-1.
In the fourth, Cape’s Christopher Jordan reached on a fielding error, allowing Brady Cottom and Dalton Doyle to both scored and giving the Catfish a 3-1 advantage.
In the fifth, Cape added to its lead as Ellison Hanna II hit a solo homer.
Down 4-1 in the sixth, Andrews singled in Cody Orr to cut the lead in half before Gavin Homer scored on a throwing error, trimming the lead to 4-3.
However, that’s unfortunately the final time the Paints scored.
Cape rounded out the night’s final in the seventh scoring on an RBI triple from Cottom and an RBI groundout via Zane Wallace.
Andrews led Chillicothe’s offense, going 3-for-4 with a run and a double while Smith was 1-for-4 with a home run. Homer and Chris Eisel also logged base hits while Zach Kendall took the loss on the hill for Chillicothe.
For Cape, eight players had a base hit. Austin Williams earned the pitching win, throwing six innings, allowing one earned run on six hits, and striking out seven.
The Paints and Catfish will take Sunday off and meet again on Monday for Game 2 at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau, Mo. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.