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CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO (June 21) – Brody Chrisman is putting together a monster season at the plate for the Cape Catfish. He entered Wednesday night’s game against the Burlington Bees with a .435 batting average and 29 runs batted in, putting him among the Prospect League leaders in both categories.

The Purdue freshman from Zionsville, Indiana, improved his statistics in both those categories Wednesday night at Capaha Park, going 4 for 5 at the plate and driving in five runs as the Fish topped the Bees 12-3 and improving their win/loss record to a jaw-dropping 17-2, far and away the best record in the 17-team collegiate summer league.

The loss dropped the Burlington team to 5-12, last place in the Prospect League’s Great River Division. Meanwhile, the Catfish have a commanding lead in the league’s Prairie Lands Division with the Thrillville Thrillbillies in second place with a record of 10-8.

Burlington scored first Wednesday night when, with one out in the top of the 1st, Bees second baseman Jaden Hackbarth reached first on a throwing error by Catfish third baseman Quinton Borders. Hackbarth scored three batters later on a seeing-eye single up the middle by Bees catcher Jackson Fisher.

The Bees’ lead didn’t last long, though, for in the bottom of the 1st Catfish center fielder and the Prospect League’s best hitter Chris Hall led off with a single to center off Burlington starter Rem Maxwell. Catfish right fielder Jeff Clarke, batting second in the lineup, swatted the first pitch he saw from Maxwell and lined it into the right field corner, scoring Hall from first base.

Clark advanced to third on a wild pitch before Catfish second baseman Justin Carinci walked and stole second to put runners on second and third with no outs when Chrisman came to the plate for the for his first at bat of the game. He drove both Clarke and Carinci in with a single to center, giving him his 30th and 31st RBIs in his first 19 games of the season.

The Bees got one run back in the top of the 2nd inning with a two-out infield single by right fielder Trent Rice that drove in third baseman Brandon Bickford.

Then in the bottom of the 2nd, Chrisman delivered a bases-loaded double off the wall in right center field, clearing the bases and giving Chrisman his 32nd, 33rd, and 34th RBI this month.

The score remained 6-2 in Cape’s favor until the bottom of the 5th when Chrisman and catcher Landon Godsey led off with singles and scored on a double by designated hitter Kolten Poorman who scored when Borders, the next batter, doubled to left. A wild pitch allowed Borders to take third base and he scored shortly after when shortstop Creek Robertson from Southern Mississippi, playing in his first game with the Catfish, hit a sacrifice fly to earn his first run batted in and increasing the Cape lead to 10-2.

The Catfish added two more tallies in the 6th on the strength of a sacrifice fly by first baseman Dee Triplett that drove in Carinci and an RBI single to left by Borders that drove Triplett home to make the score 12-2 heading into the 7th.

Trailing by 10 runs, the Bees had to score at least once to avoid a mercy rule loss and prolong the game. And that’s what they did. Center fielder Tanner Holland led of the 7th with a single up the middle and eventually scored when Bees second baseman Jaden Hackbarth grounded out to short, cutting the Catfish lead to 12-3, but that would be the end of Burlington’s scoring.

Catfish starter Jorge Romero went 3 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out five and walking none. Noah Gadberry pitched the final 5 1/3 innings and was credited with the win, improving his record to 2-1. He allowed three hits and one run while striking out four and walking none.

Bees starter Rem Maxwell was tagged with the loss, dropping his record to 1-2. He went four innings, allowing six runs and seven hits while striking out four Catfish batters and walking one.

Cape finished the game with 16 hits and one error while Burlington had nine hits and committed one fielding miscue.

Asked after the game to comment on his batting success so far this season, Chrisman modestly said he tries not to overthink it. “I just see the ball and I hit it.”

He was also quick to praise his teammates. “This team, this atmosphere…in order for me to get all the RBIs I’ve been getting, you’ve got to have guys ahead of you getting on base and that’s what we’ve got,” he said.

Wednesday night was a prime example of that with players like Hall (3 for 5), Clarke (1 for 4 and also hit by a pitch) and Carinci (3 for 4) setting the table ahead of Carinci.

The Catfish play their next two games against the Rockabillys from Jackson, Tennessee. Thursday’s game will be in Jackson and Friday the Catfish and Rockabillys will play at Capaha Field in a 6:35 p.m. game.

Tickets for Friday’s game, as well as all other Catfish home games, are available on the Catfish website, www.capecatfish.com.

GAME NOTES: Three weeks into the Prospect League’s 2023 season, the four players with the league’s highest batting averages are ALL on the Catfish roster. Chris Hall from Lincoln Memorial University leads the league with 37 hits in 74 at bats for a batting average of .500. He has also reached base at least once in every Catfish game this summer. Purdue’s Brody Chrisman is second with a BA of .463 (and he leads the league with 34 RBI). Justin Carinci from Eastern Kentucky University has the league’s third-highest batting average at .432 while Catfish catcher Landon Godsey from Belmont is fourth at .429.