His team worn down by fatigue linked to a couple of recent, season-ending injuries and his pitching staff having several hurlers struggling to find consistent control, Chillicothe Mudcats head coach Adam Steyer reached out to a local player to help the club get through a non-league game last night. He ended up pleasantly getting more than he asked for.
Alex Singleton, one of the finest Chillicothe High School players ever as an infielder-pitcher and now headed to Northwest Missouri State University to play for the Bearcats, starting this fall, not only answered the call to eat up some innings to save the reliable moundsmen, but threw four strong innings and earned the victory as the Fish bested the Junction City (Kan.) Generals 10-6 at “June” Shaffer Memorial Park Monday night.
"I didn't know if I'd have my stuff,” Singleton commented to the C-T, referring to his only competitive pitching this summer having been one “exhibition” inning against the Mudcats for a Kansas City Ban Johnson League team late last month, “but I was going to give my team a chance to win.
“I just wanted to compete."
He did more than compete. He threw one-run ball from the fourth inning through the seventh in relief of again-wild starter Brett Casto, giving the Mudcats time to pull away from what was a 3-3 game when he entered.
"I felt at home,” Singleton said of working from the familiar mound he pitched on in high school. “It was good support from the crowd and I was just happy to be pitching."
The triumph lifted Chillicothe to
24-10 on the season entering a regular-season-closing stretch of six MINK League games, starting tonight.
Weather and field conditions permitting, the Mudcats are due to play at Topeka, Kan., against the Golden Giants at 7 p.m. today. The field there has an artificial turf infield, which may improve the chances of getting the action in.
After a trip to Clarinda, Iowa, tomorrow, the Mudcats will be back home Thursday to host Sedalia at 7:05 p.m. Because of a clarification on the schedule for one of the teams trying to reel in the Fish in the North Division race, that will be their first chance to sew up the division title.
Chillicothe currently has a three-game lead over the Beatrice Bruins, St. Joseph Mustangs, and Topeka.
None of those contenders played league games last night, but, in the South, the race for the division title and NBC World Series berth became more intriguing when Sedalia blasted Nevada 11-0 on the road.
Going into a rematch at Sedalia tonight, Nevada has a one-game lead.
After struggling offensively their previous three games, the Mudcats had their hitting and scoring clothes on early Monday.
Following one-out walks to Grant Grgurich and Justin Shultz, Brian Fisher came through with a two-out ground single into left to give Chillicothe the initial lead. For "Fish," they were his 13th and 14th runs batted in of the season, tying him with Hector Acosta and the injured Tony Nix for second on the team behind injured leader Brett Sowers' 24.
The lead didn't last long. A single, a hit batsman, and a base on balls loaded the bases for former Mudcat (briefly early in 2008) Andy Cotton. The second pitch to him grazed his left shoulder forcing home the first Junction City run. Casto got a double-play grounder to Bryan Mason at short to throw cold water on the gestating big inning and another grounder kept things 2-2.
The Mudcats immediately regained the lead in their second. Richie Mascheri won a left-on-left battle with Generals starting pitcher Nate Kerkhoff with a bloop single to center to start the inning. He stole second with two outs and scored standing up as Darian Sandford's grounder down the third-base line stayed down and went under the third baseman's glove.
Junction City, which previously split two home contests with the Fish, quick re-tied it.
After a leadoff single and walk, Casto's wild throw on a would-be sacrifice bunt let Colin Murphy score from second. An one-out walk filled the sacks, but again a DP bailed Casto and the Mudcats out to keep things even, 3-3.
Singleton made his Mudcats debut with a quick, scoreless top of the fourth – aided by Dennis gunning down a would-be basestealer – and Chillicothe eased in front a third time in its half.
Mason's single to center, Sandford's bunt single, a sacrifice by Grgurich, and Shultz's sacrifice fly to shallow left broke the tie. Mason barely slid in before the tag following a slightly-off-line throw.
An error on Minto's weak grounder let Sandford cross the plate for a
5-3 margin.
A golden opportunity to add on was wasted by the Mudcats in the fifth. Loading the bases with no outs, Mascheri was called out trying to score on a pitch that went to the screen. A strikeout of Sandford made it two down and, after Grgurich drew the fifth walk given by Kerkhoff, Shultz went down swinging on a pitch in the dirt.
After sitting a long time during the bottom of the fifth, Singleton was a bit wilted as he began the top of the sixth.
Mike Kindel pounded a triple up the alley leading off and Josh Piper ripped a single through the box to bring the Kansans within one, but Singleton found himself and got the next three to keep himself in line for the "W."
His new teammates improved his chances with a run in the home sixth as Kyle Standridge singled home designated hitter Tyler Minto, who'd been hit by a pitch leading off.
Helped again by a Dennis cut-down of a would-be Generals thief at second, Singleton wrapped up a four-inning debut having allowed one run on four hits. He didn't strike out anyone, but handed out only one walk.
Asked after the game if he’d been nervous, Singleton admitted, "A little bit. I mean, pretty big hometown crowd. I just had to settle down and do what I was supposed to do."