Paints Defeat Gems 12-8 in Game 3 to Win 2023 Prospect League Championship

The Basics
Score: Chillicothe Paints 12, Quincy Gems 8
Records: Chillicothe Paints (45-18, 4-1), Quincy Gems (34-28, 3-2)
Location: VA Memorial Stadium - Chillicothe, Ohio

CHILLICOTHE, OH – The Chillicothe Paints are the 2023 Prospect League Champions!

The Paints defeated the Quincy Gems 12-8 in game three of the Prospect League Championship Series at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe. The title is Paints' 2nd straight, 3rd in the last 4 seasons, and a Prospect League record 4th overall. 

Game three started with the Gems on top as Quincy scored 2 runs in the top of the 1st inning on a Kyle Hvidsten single and a Tristian Meny sacrifice fly.

The Paints answered with 1 run in the bottom of the 1st as Victor Figueroa drove in Tyler Shaneyfelt on a sacrifice fly and the game sat at 2-1 heading to the 2nd. 

The 2nd inning was the turning point in the contest. The Gems stranded two runners on base after Otto Jones and Jimmy Koza both walked, and opened the door for the Paints to take a lead.

Nate Dorinsky led off with a double and moved over to 3rd on a CJ Carmichael ground out. With 1 out Shaneyfelt was unable to drive him home, but the Paints caught a break as Gems' starting pitcher Noah Harbin allowed Dorinksy to score on a wild pitch. Then Harbin walked Cole Kwiatkowski and Tim Orr and had to face Figueroa with 2 outs and 2 runners on. Figueroa blasted his 2nd home run of the series and the Paints had the 5-2 lead. They added one more on a CJ Dean single and the Paints led 6-2 after 2 innings.

Paints' starting pitcher Will Retig continued to deal, holding the Gems scoreless in the 3rd and 4th and setting up the Paints to put the game out of reach. The Paints added 2 more in the 3rd on a Kwaitkowski 2-run home run. Then added 3 in the 4th on a Brayden White RBI single, a throwing error on the Gems, and a Dorinksy sacrifice fly. The Paints led 11-2 after 4 innings. 

The Gems started the comeback in the 5th. Jaison Adnujar got it started with a 2-run home run, and Joe Siervo followed with a double to score Meny. The Paints answered with a Tim Orr solo home run in the bottom of the 5th and the Gems trailed 12-5 heading to the 6th. 

The Paints would go scoreless the rest of the way, but the Gems kept scratching to keep it close. The Gems scored 1 in the 8th on a Koza RBI single and 2 in the 9th on a Harry Oden 2-RBI single. In the end, they came up just short of the comeback bid falling 12-8 for the final.

The starters were the pitchers of record as Harbin took the loss for the Gems and Rettig picked up the victory for the Paints. 

Victor Figueroa was named Championship Series MVP after going 4-8 with 2 runs scored, 9 runs batted in, 6 walks, 1 double, and 2 home runs in the 3 games. Figueroa batted .500 with a .667 on-base percentage and a 1.375 slugging percentage across the championship series.

Inside The Boxscore

Every Paints starter recorded a hit and all but one scored a run as the Paints scored 12 runs on 12 hits. CJ Dean, Tyler Shaneyflet, and Cole Kwiatkowski all recorded 2 hits in the game. 

The Gems out-hit the Paints by 1 scoring 8 runs on 13 hits. Jaison Andujar went 2-4 with a home run, a run scored, and 2 RBIs, and Harry Oden went 2-4 with a double, a run scored, and 2 RBIs.

On the mound, the Gems gave up 11 walks and only struck out 6 while throwing 5 different pitchers in the loss. Jake Syverson went 2.2 no-hit and shutout innings to keep the game close. 

The Paints threw 3 pitchers and combined for 10 strikeouts on the mound compared to just 4 walks. 

Notes

It was magic number 12 for the Paints as they scored 12 runs in all three games of the championship series.

The Gems offense was back alive scoring 8 runs after being shut out last night. The final series run total goes to the Paints, who outscored the Gems 34-26 across the 3 games.

The Paints win their 4th Prospect League Championship breaking the tie with Quincy and West Virginia at 3 and moving into sole possession of most titles all-time.

The Paints are the 2nd team in Prospect League history to win back-to-back titles and are the first to win 3 titles in a 4-season span.  

Up Next
The Prospect League will return for the 2024 season! Congratulations to the Paints and Gems for an exciting Prospect League Championship Series, and a big thank you to you, Prospect League fan, for your support during the 2023 season!