Paints Lead Early, But Fall To Mill Rats 6-4

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio - The Chillicothe Paints, presented by Adena Health System, were unable to keep up with Johnstown's offense, losing to the Mill Rats 6-4 Monday night at VA Memorial Stadium.

Isaac Danford started on the mound for Chillicothe (5-6, 26-16) and struck out all three batters he faced in the top of the first. The Paints struck in the bottom of the first when two walks were followed by a three-run home run by Anthony Steele, giving Chillicothe an early 3-0 lead.

Johnstown (7-4, 19-23) would get their first hit and run of the game in the bottom of the second, where back-to-back hits by Sam Mast and Matt Santarelli produced a run, cutting the Chillicothe lead to 3-1.

Nick Lallathin entered to pitch for Chillicothe in the top of the fourth after Danford collected eight strikeouts, allowing only one earned run on two hits over three innings. Mast and Santarelli teamed up again to produce a run just like in the second, bringing the Mill Rats to within one at 3-2.

With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the fifth, Johnstown took a 5-3 lead on a bases-clearing triple by Pete Capobianco, a sinking liner to left that Chillicothe outfielder Nate Dorinsky just missed with a diving effort.

After a few innings of both teams stranding runners, Johnstown would get another run in the top of the eighth on a single up the middle from Santarelli, his third RBI of the game, making the score 6-3.

After five innings of work by Lallathin, Logan Fisher would replace him out of the bullpen, pitching a scoreless top of the ninth. Owen Wilson led off the bottom of the ninth with a single and was brought around to score with two outs on a Ben Gbur single to left field, but it proved t be too little too late for Chillicothe, as they fell 6-4.

The Paints will be back in action tomorrow night in Springfield as they take on the Champion City Kings. First pitch is scheduled at 6:35.