Paints win seventh Ohio River Valley Division title after shutout win over Mill Rats
CHILLICOTHE – The Chillicothe Paints are Ohio River Valley Division champions once again.
After breezing through their August schedule and closing out the regular season, the Paints have returned to the playoffs. They secured their seventh divisional championship after squashing the Johnstown Mill Rats 16-0 in seven innings at VA Memorial Stadium.
The Paints had the win in their hands from their first at-bat. They scored 10 runs in the first inning to sprint ahead of the Mill Rats. Tim Orr scored the first run of the game after hitting a single to right field to bring home Brett Carson, and the Paints never slowed down. They recorded nine hits n the first inning alone, and they batted through the order before even getting two outs.
The rest of the game was spent adding insurance runs. Carson hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth, and the Paints even scored after Orr was walked with the bases loaded in the third inning to bring home Carson again.
Johnstown had no response. It failed to stand up to stating pitcher Sebastian Escobar, who earned his fourth win of the season with ease. The right-hander lasted five innings on the mound, and he struck out six while allowing just one hit. Reliever Todd Bangston breezed through the final two innings, and he struck out two batters and allowed just two hits.
Santrel Farmer and Carson led the offense Tuesday after going 4-for-4. Carson recorded four RBIs, while Farmer brought in three runs. Orr went 3-for-4 with three RBIs, and one of those hits was a triple to bring home Farmer. All but one of the Paints’ batters recorded a hit Sunday, and all but two notched an RBI.
The Paints secured their seventh Ohio River Valley Division championship in short order. They didn’t even need the full nine innings to claim the win. They kept the Mill Rats quiet and exploded for their biggest shutout win of the year.
Now, the Paints are on the eve of the Eastern Conference Championships with a massive victory under their belts. If they want to follow up on that victory, they’ll need to defeat the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp in Peru, Illinois, at 7:05 p.m. on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Chillicothe Paints win Ohio River Valley Division after shutout win
