The Catfish Reel.
Your Catfish Baseball News.

MARION, IL (June 20) – Four Catfish pitchers threw a combined one-hit shutout Tuesday night as Cape defeated the Thrillville Thrillbillies for the second time this week and fifth time this season.

The Catfish pounded out a dozen hits and scored runs in bunches, winning 10-0 and improving their record to 16-2, by far and away the best record in the 17-team Prospect League of collegiate players.

Former Jackson Indian and Catfish starter Caden Bogenpohl, who was also Cape’s designated hitter Monday night, held the Thrillbillies hitless through three innings while pitching around three walks and a hit batsman. He was replaced on the mound in the 4th inning by Raymond Ochoa, but stayed in the lineup as the DH.

Ochoa struck out six in his three innings of work, but allowed the only Thrillbilly hit, an infield single in the 6th inning by second baseman Cole Smith who came into the game batting .412.

Neither team could push a run across the plate until the top of the 5th when Catfish third baseman Kolten Poorman and shortstop Jude Putz opened the inning with with a pair of singles. Putz’s beat out a bunt for his single, but he was shaken up sliding head first into first base. He was replaced on the basepath by Brody Chrisman. A wild pitch by Thrillbilly starter Ryan Daly let Chrisman and Poorman take second and third, respectively, and an RBI sacrifice fly to deep center by Bogenpohl allowed Poorman to score, giving Cape a 1-0 advantage.

But the Catfish weren’t finished. Their next batter, catcher Tucker Stockman, was hit by a Daly pitch and, after Chris Hall struck out, right fielder Jeff Clarke singled to left, driving in Chrisman. Then with two on and two out, Justin Carinci sent a fly ball down the right field line that was dropped by Thrillville right fielder Camron Hill when he ran into the wall just beyond the foul line. The ball bounced back toward the infield, allowing Stockman and Clarke to score, extending the Catfish lead to 4-0.

Carinci was credited with a triple, his third of the season, but he was thrown out at the plate trying to extend his three-bagger into an inside the park home run.

Cape added to its lead in the 7th thanks to a ground rule double by Chris Hall on a ball that one-hopped the left field wall, driving in Bogenpohl who had doubled to lead off the frame. Hall’s hit also allowed Catfish catcher Tucker Stockman, who had singled before Hall came to bat, to take third base. Clarke then picked up a pair of RBIs with a single to left, scoring both Stockman and Hall.

That made the score 7-0, but the Catfish weren’t finished. In the top of the 9th, Chrisman walked, Stockman was hit by a pitch and Hall beat out an infield hit to load the bases. Carinci then doubled down the left field line to clear the bases and give Cape its 10-run lead.

Catfish reliever Alex Esker retired the Thrillbillies in order in the 7th and 8th innings and Cam Dohogne pitched around a leadoff walk in the 9th by retiring the next three batters.

Hall went 3-for-5 at the plate, adding to his league-leading .484 batting average while Carinci drove in half of Cape’s 10 runs, boosting his RBI total to 22 so far this summer.

The loss dropped the Thrillbillies’ record to 9-8 with more than half of their losses coming at the hands (or fins) of the Catfish. In their five games against each other this season, the Catfish have outscored the Thrillbillies 45-8. They will meet again three times next week – Wednesday, June 28, in Marion, Thursday, June 29, in Cape Girardeau, and Friday, June 30, back in Marion.

The Catfish will be back in action Wednesday, taking on the Bees from Burlington, Iowa, at Capaha Field in Cape Girardeau. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available online through the Catfish website, www.capecatfish.com.