Roundup: Wolf's relief work helps Paints win fourth straight; Shockers swept
CHILLICOTHE — Snowballs don't roll much on the Fourth of July weekend, but the Paints keep building momentum anyway.
A new opponent invaded VA Memorial Stadium on Sunday, but the result was the same for Chillicothe's finest. The clutch-hitting Paints scored five times in the fourth and fifth innings — four with two outs — then held on in the late innings for a 7-6 win against pesky Lafayette in Prospect League play.
The Paints were outhit, 12-10, but reliever Evan Wolf came through with 1 2/3 innings to close out the team's fifth straight win to extend its lead in the Ohio River Valley Division.
Sebastian Escobar outpitched counterpart Tyler Yotkewich, tossing five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts as the Paints built a 5-1 lead upon his exit.
The middle relief corps was battered to the tune of nine hits and five runs in the final three innings, and Lafayette had the tying run on base in the ninth after Jack Lang reached on a bunt single.
Lang stole second with two outs after a pair of flyouts, but Wolf struck out Mike Snyder looking with two outs to end the threat. It marked the third time in four games the Paints' bullpen preserved a close win.
The Paints improved to third in the Prospect League in team ERA at 4.42 and are first among 16 teams in fielding percentage at .977. Their 33 double plays also lead the league.
Jeron Williams drove in three tuns with singles, one of three Paints with multiple hits. Kade Wroot tripled and singled, Owen Wilson singled twice and Connor Ashby doubled for the winners.
Consecutive two-our RBI singles from Wilson and Williams in the fifth pushed a four-run lead to 7-1. An inning earlier, Williams and Wroot had two-out RBI singles to extend a 3-1 lead.
Brandon Daniels gave the Aviators a 1-0 lead with a solo homer in the first, but Ashby's double and Santrell Farmer's groundout sent the Paints ahead to stay in the second at 2-1.
Chillicothe will host the Champion City Kings on Tuesday and Johnstown on Wednesday before traveling to Lafayette on Thursday.
Legion Baseball
Troy 5, Waverly 2: The Shockers dropped both of their games with state power Troy on Sunday at the Lancaster Post 11 Classic on Sunday at Beavers Field.
Game 1 was a classic pitcher's duel, with Post 142 taking a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth after Tra Swayne singled and scored on Alex Boles' two-out, two-run homer.
It wasn't enough, as the first four batters reached for Tiffin in the bottom of the inning, with an error in right field allowing two runs to score and tie the game. A fielder's choice one batter later sent the go-ahead run home, and another error allowed the fourth run to come home.
The Shockers couldn't get closer, as reliever Nick Palm got the final four outs to seal it.
Troy 11, Waverly 1: Post 142 took a 1-0 lead into the fifth inning, but Troy scored seven times — five times with two outs — to take the lead for good.
The Shockers made two errors and issued a pair of walks in the fateful fifth.
Peyton Harris collected three singles, Hunter Edwards two singles and Ben Nichols a double for the Shockers, who were outhit, 9-7, and committed three errors.
Carter Nickel allowed three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings to take the loss. Harris yielded three hits and four earned runs in relief.
This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Wolf's relief work helps Chillicothe Paints win fourth straight
