JUNCTION CITY, Kan. — At the end of a 21⁄2-week stretch of mostly being away from home (11 of 13 games), the Chillicothe Mudcats played with the look of a drained team in a non-league outing Friday night.
Journeying west of Kansas City a night after concluding a two-day, three-game stint in Beatrice, Neb., the Mudcats as a team were not sharp in any phase of the game as the Junction City Generals demoted them to 10-7 on the year with a 12-3 thrashing.
The defeat was Chillicothe’s first in nine games, denying them the chance to try to set a new team record for consecutive victories Saturday night when they came back home to face Sedalia. Had this year’s Mudcats gained win No. 9 in a row Friday, they’d have had the chance to set the new mark against the head coach and six players who set the still-record late last season. 2008 Mudcats coach Justin “Jud” Kindle, now skippering the new Sedalia Bombers MINK League team, and 2008 Fish TS Reed, Kyle Zimmerman, Tyler Knight, Nolan “Bubba” Martz, Blake Barber, and Aaron Kleekamp came to town Saturday night for a league game (see story on page 10).
While the margin of Friday’s loss and the lack of verve with which Chillicothe pitched, hit, and fielded were disappointing, the Generals are proving themselves to be a good team more than capable of capitalizing on a subpar effort.
Having beaten the St. Joseph Mustangs’ MINK League club at St. Joseph Wednesday, Junction City’s thumping of the Mudcats boosted its record to a sterling 14-3.
The slaughter commenced right away with a five-run first inning which kayoed Chillicothe starting pitcher Chris Williamson (0-2) and was capped by another five spot in the seventh off reliever Jake Aylward. Aylward, possibly being stretched out for a look as a starter in coming weeks after not throwing since June 14, took over in the first and held the Generals to two runs – one earned – through the sixth before likely running out of gas.
One of the limited positives for Chillicothe on the night was Colin Parker’s 12⁄3 scoreless innings after taking over from Aylward with a man at second in the seventh. It was the Chillicothe native’s fourth hitless, scoreless relief outing of the year. He did walk two, but also notched Mudcats pitchers’ only strikeout of the night.
After Chillicothe got two men on with two outs in the first, but stranded them, the Generals quickly pulled rank.
Williamson hit the first batter and allowed a one-out RBI single to Bryan Embery. Singles by DH John Lenherr and Colin Murphy followed to make it 2-0.
A tap back to the hill which Williamson briefly fumbled, but threw home in time to get Lenherr, gave the Bellevue University Bruins righthander a chance to escape with limited damage. He couldn’t do so, however, as Junction City right fielder Stewart Hoover worked the count full, fouled off a pitch, and then launched a three-run home run over the fence 388 feet away in center field.
When the Mudcat walked the next batter, he was given the hook in favor of Aylward. Although research has not yet been conducted, it may be the first time any Chillicothe starting hurler has not gotten out of the first.
A Mudcats throwing error with two outs in the second inning allowed an unearned sixth Generals run to cross the plate.
With Junction City starting righthander Brandon Faulkner (Allen Co., Kan., CC) spacing out three Chillicothe hits through the first four innings, the score stayed 6-0 as the game reached its midpoint.
Desperately seeking a spark, the Mudcats picked one up in the home fourth. Getting a visit from assistant/pitching coach Chris Emanuel after allowing a single, double, and hit batsman to load the bases, Aylward caught a break. His next offering was lined by Murphy to shortstop Brian Fisher, who converted it into an inning-ending double play at second.
No. 9 batter Fisher then led off the top of the fifth by coaxing ­’s third walk and Darian Sandford beat out a slow roller toward second.