Thrillbillies defeat Catfish for South Division Championship

The Basics
Score: Thrillville Thrillbillies 13, Cape Catfish 6
Records: Thrillville Thrillbillies (32-24, 1-0), Cape Catfish (31-26, 0-1)
Location: Mtn Dew Park - Marion, Illinois

MARION, IL - The Thrillville Thrillbillies are headed to the Western Conference Championship game with a 13-6 victory over the Cape Catfish Thursday at Mtn Dew Park.

The South Division Champion Thrillville Thrillbillies will travel to the Northwest Division Champion Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp for the Western Conference Championship.

The Catfish scored the first two runs of the game in the top of the 1st off singles from Gunnar Doyle and Owen Mandler.

Then the Thrillville offense took over in the bottom of the 1st. Bryson Arnette got things going with a two-run single followed by a Carson Garner RBI double. Charlie Isom McCall kept the offense rolling with an RBI single and an error scored Carson Garner from third. Josh Griffin and Mark Kattula combined to drive in 3 more runs, and the Thrillbillies took a commanding 8-2 lead after the 1st.

Jackson Lindsey extended the Thrillbillies' lead with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the 3rd. Then the Catfish answered with 2 runs in the top of the 4th courtesy of a Wes Gingerich RBI single and a Brooks Kettering sacrifice fly.

The Thrillbillies restarted the scoring in the 6th as Cam Hill doubled home Garner and Hill came around to score on a wild pitch. The Catfish would score the final runs with 2 runs in the top of the 9th, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit as Tanner Gerdes secured the final out for the Thrillbillies with a bases-loaded strikeout.

Turning Point
An 8-run bottom of the 1st for Thrillville was all the difference in the contest.

Inside The Box Score

• The Thrillville pitching staff only allowed 1 earned run after the 4th inning.

• Catfish starter Dylan Peck, who entered with a 1.93 ERA, did not record an out not out, giving up 7 runs in the bottom of the 1st.

• The Thrillbillies recorded 4 extra-base hits compared to just 1 for the Catfish.

• Doyle for the Thrillbillies and Garner for the Catfish each grabbed 3 hits.

Notes

• This is the second Division Championship for the Thrillbillies, who grab back-to-back titles in their first two Prospect League seasons.

• The Thrillbillies will look to advance to their first-ever Prosepct League Championship Series, after falling in the Conference Championship to the Gems last season.

• The Catfish fall to the Thrillbillies in the Division Championship for the second straight season.

Up Next
Thrillville advances to Saturday's Conference Championship round and will face the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp, the Northwest Division Champions, in the Western Conference Championship. Saturday's game is scheduled for 7:05 PM (CT) and will be hosted by Pistol Shrimp at Schweickert Stadium in Peru, Illinois.