Undefeated Catfish Pound Thrillbillies 12-1
MARION, IL (June 4) – The Catfish scored in each of the first five innings of their game against the Thrillville Thrillbillies Sunday night, outscoring the Marion squad 12-1, their fourth straight win to open the 2023 Prospect League season.
It was the second consecutive seven-inning game for the Catfish under the league’s 10-run mercy rule.
Catfish starting pitcher Marshal Brown, a sophomore at Arkansas Tech from Kennett, Missouri, allowed just two hits while striking out five Thrillbillies in his three innings on the mound.
The Catfish pounced on Marion early when leadoff batter Chris Hall (Lincoln Memorial University) hit the first of his two triples off Thrillbilly starter and losing pitcher Shane Wilhelm, a senior at SIU-Carbondale from Columbia, Illinois. The next batter, right fielder Jeff Clarke from Belmont, was hit by a pitch. Both he and Hall scored on an RBI double by shortstop Justin Carinci (Mineral Area College) who then scored on an RBI ground out off the bat of first baseman Kaden Jeffries (Metropolitan Community College).
Cape added a run in the second, followed by five more in the third, another in the fourth and two more in the fifth with one or more RBIs credited to Hall, Clarke, Carinci, Jeffries, catcher Landon Godsey (Belmont), third baseman Curry Sutherland (Missouri State), and left fielder Brody Chrisman (Purdue).
The Thrillbillies threatened in the fourth and fifth innings, loading the bases in both frames. However, the Catfish escaped with no damage thanks to a strikeout and a double play in the fourth and a groundout and double play in the fifth.
Catfish reliever Noah Gadberry (Delta State) was credited with the win, pitching two shutout innings. Columbia College’s Kam Dohogne from Oran, Missouri, finished out the game, allowing a pair of two-out hits in the seventh for Marion’s only run.
The Catfish, now 4-0, return to Capaha Field in Cape Monday for a 6:35 p.m. game against the O’Fallon Hoots.