By MATT PIKE
A huge first pinning propelled the St. Joseph Mustangs to a 16-1 seven inning run rule victory over the Chillicothe Mudcats at Phil Welch Stadium on Thursday.
The Mudcats lone run came in the top of the first inning on bases loaded walk by Landon Jaynes, Jackson Nailitz scoring as JP Gonzalez walked. In the bottom half of the inning, the Mustangs scored nine runs to take a big lead, scoring six of the nine runs before even getting a second out and batting around in the inning, getting seven hits.
Benton alum Chris Coy led off the inning with a triple and scored on a single by Bishop LeBlond alum Frank Gall, in his first game in the Mustangs lineup. Gall scored on a double from Lafayette alum Brayden Luikart, and after Luikart stole third and the bases were loaded on a walk and hit by pitch, a walk to Eden Meyers scored Luikart. Charles Stevens doubled to drive in Atchison alum Boston Bruce and Tyler Gundelfinger to put St. Joseph up 5-1.
The scoring continued to pour on in the inning as Isaiah Ketller singled to score Meyers, before Coy popped out for the second out. Gall was hit by a pitch, to reload the bases, and Luikart singled to drive in two more runs in the inning bringing home Stevens and Ketller, before Bruce also hit an RBI single to drive in Gall for the final run of the inning. No runs scored in the second inning, but the Mustangs extended the lead even more in the third frame.
Leading 9-1, St. Joseph loaded the bases with one out and a bases loaded walk to Bruce scored Ketller, and another bases loaded walk to Missouri Western's Micah Kobuszewski brought home Coy, before Gundelfinger singled to drive in Luikart and Bruce scored as Meyers reached first on an error. Stevens struck out for the second out, but another bases loaded walk, this time to Ketller, drove Kobuszewski across home plate for the final run of the inning after Coy struck out to end the inning with the Mustangs up 14-1.
It was a monster game for Luikart, who drove in the final two runs of the game in the fourth inning, hitting a two run home run and scoring Gall, who reached first on an error. Luikart was 4-for-5 with a double and a home run, coming a triple shy of the cycle, driving in five runs with a stolen base.
Also at the plate, Stevens was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI's with two stolen bases. Ketller was 1-for-1 with two RBIs and three walks. Bruce was 1-for-3 with two RBI's and two walks, also scoring two runs. On the mound, Jaynes pitched four innings and gave up three hits and one run with four walks and three strikeouts. West Platte alum Jaxon Turner pitched a scoreless seventh, striking out two.
The Mustangs improve to 5-3 on the season and are back at Phil Welch Stadium on Friday hosting the North Missouri Natty's at 7 pm.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.