CHILLICOTHE — After digging and early hole Tuesday evening, the Chillicothe Paints did what they’ve continually done so well this season: piece together a big inning.
The Paints (27-15) found themselves down 3-0 heading into the bottom of the second inning. So, to throw a punch of their own, they scored seven runs to take a 7-3 lead. That offensive outburst was the breaking point in an 8-4 win over West Virginia (14-28).
In the second, Ethan Hajdukovic (Western Michigan) tripled in a sprinting Justin McIntyre (Western Michigan) after Collin Luty (Northern Kentucky) scored on a wild pitch. Parker Murdie (Grand Valley State) then knocked in Hadjukovic with an RBI single to tie the ballgame.
The Paints took the lead when Gavin Homer (Penn State) logged an RBI single and extended it when Cole Andrews (Miami) grounded into a fielder’s choice and Trey Smith (University of Indianapolis) tripled.
Chillicothe’s final run came in the seventh when Murdie grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring McIntyre.
Hajdukovic ended the night 2-for-3 with a triple, a run and an RBI, Smith was 1-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs, Cody Orr (Tiffin) finished 2-for-5 with a run, and McIntyre was 1-for-2 with two runs.
On the rubber, Austin Calopietro (4-1, Toledo) got the win in three innings of work. He allowed a run on two hits and struck out five. Nate Haugh (Toledo) picked up his 10th save in 2/3 of an inning.
The Paints travel to West Virginia for the second contest of a five-game series with the Miners, Wednesday evening. First pitch at Linda K. Epling Stadium is slated for 6:35 p.m.
To find news, updates, and more information about the Paints, be sure to visit chillicothepaints.com.