Paints Score Early, Beat Aviators In Lafayette 4-2

From the Chillicothe Paints:

LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Chillicothe Paints, presented by Adena Health System, jumped out to an early lead and used solid pitching Sunday afternoon, beating the Lafayette Aviators 4-2 at Loeb Stadium.

Chillicothe (4-1, 25-11) didn't waste much time getting on the board. With one out in the top of the first, Mike Sprockett singled, moving to third on a double by Jeron Williams. Tim Orr followed with an RBI single, scoring Sprockett. Ben Gbur made it four straight hits for the Paints, driving home Williams and giving Chillicothe a 2-0 lead.

They made it 3-0 in the third, the same four players went back-to-back-to-back-to-back with hits again, this time all singles, allowing Sprockett to score.

After Lafayette (1-3. 15-19) got a run in the bottom of the third, Chillicothe answered the next half-inning. Cameron Bowen lead off with a triple, scoring on a Sprockett fielder's choice, making it 4-1 Paints.

The Aviators got one in the sixth, but Chillicothe didn't give up another run, securing the win and a 3-1 roadtrip.

Paints starter Dylan Taliaferro (4-1) turned in another quality start, allowing just two runs on nine hits, walking two and striking out six over seven innings. Cal McAninch threw a scoreless eighth, allowing two hits and striking out two. Evan Wolf earned his third save of the season, all against Lafayette, giving up a hit and striking out one in the ninth.

Chillicothe gets the day off Monday, they return to action in Beckley against the West Virginia Miners Tuesday at 6:35p.m.

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From the Lafayette Aviators:

LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Aviators fell to 15-19 after another 4-2 loss to the Chillicothe Paints. Both squads finished with 12 hits, but early momentum swung in the direction of the Paints. In the first three innings, Chillicothe went 9 for 10 with three runs scored. Sprocket, Williams, Orr, and Gbur would finish two or more hits. 

Lafayette's bats were slow to start, but Tre Hondras gave the Fly Boys their life. He went 3 for 5 with one run scored and provided the necessary momentum shift. Lafayette would score in the bottom of the third when Craig drove in Hondras with an RBI single. Lafayette would only score once more when Fitzpatrick's RBI single scored Bedgood. 

The box score tells a different story than the game. While the Paints seemed to control the pace of the game, Lafayette went swing for swing with Chillicothe. Tyler Norris struggled as the Aviator starter, allowing 10 hits for four runs. His three innings pitched gave him the loss and forced the Aviators to turn to their bullpen quicker than expected. Connor Fries, the reliever pitched three innings for six punchouts before he was pulled. 

The Paints pitching was extremely efficient. Starter Dylan Taliaferro pitched seven innings allowing nine hits, two runs, and two walks while tying his single-game strikeout record (7). Taliaferro improves to 4-1 on the season, while reliever Evan Wolf added his third save to the books after pitching the ninth inning.

Lafayette drops to 15-19 and gets ready for another familiar opponent. Fans can tune into Prospect League TV tomorrow, July 11, when the Aviators take on the Danville Dans. The first pitch will be thrown at 7:00 p.m. Lafayette is 1-4 versus the Dans and also suffered a 4-2 loss at Danville just two days ago.