Chillicothe Gazette from Chillicothe, Ohio • 5

Sports Scott Hennen, sports editor, 773-2111, extension 73; night numbers, 773-2117 or 773-2114 Tuesday, September 3, 1996 Chillicothe Gazette 5A Scott Hennen Paints fall short of dream season The Chillicothe Paints may have had a dream season, but they still feel short of their dream. It was a tough Labor Day for the Paints as they watched the Springfield Capitals celebrate on the infield of VA Memorial after the 6-2 win. Tough because Chillicothe claimed all the league honors this year everything except win a Frontier League title. "We had a good year," said Roger Hanners after managing his last game with the Paints. "But that doesn't matter if you don't win it." And winning it was on pitcher Rob Cancel's mind all year long.

He watched last year from the Zanesville Greys bench as Johnstown celebrated the league title. This was one rerun he could have definitely missed. "On paper, we were the best team in the league, but we just didn't do it," Cancel said. "We were 7-1 against Springfield in the regular season, sol guess things caught up with us. All the little breaks went their way." On paper, the Paints were phenomenal.

They had a league-best 50-29 mark and were the only team to win both halves of the season. Scott Pinoni, the frontrunner for Most Valuable Player honors, led the league in hitting (.384) and RBI (65). Mitch House led the league with 18 home runs. Matt Riemer stole a league-leading 42 stolen bases in 48 tries. Reenn Edmondson tied for the league lead with nine wins.

Everything was in place for them to win, but it just didn't happen. "Somebody's got to win and somebody's got to lose," House said. "It was really tough to watch them celebrate, especially after the good year we've Pinoni wasn't thrilled with watching the celebration either. "It's definitely not a good feeling, especially when you win 32 of 41 games here (at VA)," Pinoni said. "'We thought we could come back here and do it.

We've done it here all year long, but I guess it finally caught up with us." But the loss didn't seem to bother the fans. As the team came to the dugout in the bottom of the ninth, the plus fans in attendance gave their beloved Paints a standing ovation. After the game, fans lined up between the dugout and locker room to give the team support after the tough loss. "It was great," House said. "The fans have been really supportive all year.

But it still didn't make up for (the loss)." Pinoni said he doesn't know Pinoni said he doesn't know if he'll be a Paint next year. He hopes greener pastures come calling, but if not, Chillicothe isn't out of the question. "If I can't move up then I wouldn't mind coming back here," Pinoni said. "It'd be great to come back and play one more year just for the fun of it and call it quits. Then I'd have to go into the real world." Cancel has already decided to hang up his spikes and become an accountant.

House will attend school in Clinch Valley College in Virgina and coach the baseball team, but he will always entertain offers. "I think I put up the kind of numbers to grab someone's attention," House said. "But who knows. I'll just have to put out some feelers and wait and see." House was to spend last night driving to Virginia to attend classes today. So much for the glamourous life of a baseball player.

Scott Hennen is sports editor for the Gazette. Paints come up John Smith (32) leaves the wait on Thad Chrismon to come a 6-2 decision to Springfield as the Paints 32 Paints 32 Chillicothe Paints pitcher catcher Greg Reinhart Paints went on to drop Six-run fourth gives Capitals the crown By MARK SONKA Gazette Sports Writer The end came not on a theatrical strikeout or a fancy defensive play or a clutch base hit with runners on. It was a routine pop fly, a little floater out to short left field that shortstop Tony Zaragoza drifted under and squeezed with his glove. That was it. The game, the series, the season.

Not until Jesse Fluck's pop out with two outs in the bottom of the ninth did the Springfield Capitals eliminate the Chillicothe Paints in Game 2 of the Frontier League Championship Series Monday night and win their first Cup in franchise history. As the Capitals swarmed relief pitcher Paul Fletcher, who got the final out of the 6-2 victory, the Paints and their fans at VA Memorial Field watched in utter disbelief. Fluck, after trotting halfway down the line to first, executed a slow -face and propped his bat upon his shoulders, his eyes pointed at his cleats. A dejected Danny Collins knelt in a catcher's position and stared at nothing in particular. Matt Riemer watched Springfield celebrate as assistant coach Marty Dunn tried to console him.

But nothing could change the fact that Springfield, a team with the worst batting average in the league and a team that had a 1-7 record against Chillicothe during the regular season, upset the favored Paints on their home field when it mattered most. "This i is just amazing," said skipper Mal Fichman, who won the championship with Johnstown in 1995 and Erie in '94. "'This is probably the club out of those three with the least ability, and we beat the best team in the league. This is what you play The Paints, with the league's best home-field and overall records, scored just three runs in the championship series. Ironically, offense was one of the team's strengths.

The Paints batted close to .300 as a team during the regular season. A Springfield pitching staff held them much lower than that. Chillicothe hit .237 for the series, and that included 10 hits Monday night. Left-hander Andy DeVries, 2-0 in the postseason, scattered seven hits and one earned run in six in- Hanners manages final game 50 Roger Hanners (50) and Field Monday night. The championship.

PEPS) Gazette Sports Writer Roger Hanners said night that Chillicothe's ending 6-2 loss to Springfield his last as the Paints' manager. By MARK SONKA Hanners promise to his Chris Hanners. "I made a Hanners said, the championship didn't, and that's season. It's the Under Hanners, both halves of East Division posted the best the league at home record league best. After taking midway through Hanners led playoff appearance Hanners front office as manager.

Chris Hanners father discussed his retirement Tim the first time it public. Chris said concern. "And more important Tim Greg Reinhart hangs his head during the bottom of the ninth as the season started to wind down on the Paints Monday night at VA Memorial series. 1-0 lead in the third on a Scott Pinoni sacrifice fly that scored Fluck. They got another run in the sixth when Troy Wilcox flew out to center, bringing home Mitch House from third.

The explosive offense that Paints fans have grown to love, though, never ignited. House, who slammed 18 regular-season home runs, had two pretty singles in the final game but nothing for extra bases. Pinoni, the league batting champ at .384, had one single Monday and went .294 in the playoffs. And that was the highest average on the team next to Matt Riemer's .316 mark. "Any time you don't score runs, Monday seasonwas Sitting in a dour clubhouse after the game, Hanners, who has coached the team since 1993, said he won't be back next season because he failed to follow through on a son and team owner, promise to him," "that we would win this year.

We the end of our end for me as the Paints won the Frontier League this season and overall record in 50-29. Chillicothe's of 32-9 was also a over for Mark Jones the 1993 season, Chillicothe to its first in '94. started 1993 in the the Paints general said he and his the possibility of before, but this was Roger Hanners made mound in the eighth inning as manager in from the bullpen at VA. Memorial Capitals took the Frontier League gives Capitals 6, Paints 2 Springfield Chillicothe ab bi Rockmore dh 4 1 0 1 Geffner 2b 0 1 3 Harris 3b 40 000 0 Stine rf 3 1 0 0 Thomas 1b 3 1 2 0 Snyder cf 4 0 1 Stewart If 3 1 0 Melendez 3 0 1 Zaragoza ss 2 1 0 1 Totals 30 6 4 6 E-Geffner, Harris, DP-Chillicothe. 3.28 SH-Fluck.

SF-Pinoni, Jempson, Springfield Chillicothe Springfield IP DeVries 2-0 6.0 Rivino 1.2 Hoffman 0.1 Fletcher 1.0 Chillicothe Edmondsn 0-2 3.2 Mayhew 0.0 Smith 3.1 Chrismon 2.0 ab bi Fluck dh 4 1 0 Benyo 2b 0 Pinoni 1b 3 House 3b 4 1 2 0 Jempson If 2 Wilcox rf 3 1 Reinhart 4 Palumbo cf 3 Collins ph 0 Riemer ss 401 0 Totals 34 2 10 2 DeVries, Riemer. LOB--Springfield 4, Chillicothe Reinhart. SB-Snyder. Wilcox. 000 600 000 6 001 001 000 2 ER BB SO 2 0 4 3 0 00 0 1 0 0 0 00 Chillicothe ab bi 4 1 0 2b 0 1b 3 3b 4 1 2 0 If 2 3 1 4 cf 3 ph 0 ss 401 0 34 2 10 2 Riemer.

4, Chillicothe SB-Snyder. 600 000 6 2 4 4 4 2 0 2 2 1 ON 0 000 0 1 8 8 8 nings to get the win. Matt Rivino, J.R. Hoffman and Fletcher provided scoreless relief. "Our pitchers did a great job," Fichman said.

"And the game is 90 percent pitching." Paints' pitching was fine Monday night until the fourth inning. Chillicothe walked five batters, including four in a row at one stretch, as the Capitals scored all six of their runs. Chillicothe starter Reenn Edmondson (0-2) walked in one run before manager Roger Hanners pulled him for Keith Mayhew. Mayhew faced two batters and walked them both, allowing two more runners to cross the plate. Then, with the bases still loaded, Hanners brought in lefty John Smith, who gave up a fly ball to Steve Geffner that sailed over a shallow-playing Jackie Jempson in left for a bases-clearing double.

The Capitals went up 6-1, and that was the game. "I just got burned. I wasn't expecting him to hit the ball that deep, Jempson said. the walks hurt, too. Walks will kill you, and that's what this game came down to." But just as Chillicothe's pitchers struggled to find the strike zone, the offense had trouble finding timely hits.

The Paints spread them out, never bunching them together for a rally. In fact, Chillicothe never even scored on a hit. The Paints took a Roger's health was a that, he said, "is than 2 Field. Chillicothe was swept it's going to be tough to win," House said. "'We didn't put it together like we have so many times this year.

We may have pressed a Hanners scoffed at the idea of pressure playing a factor. "'We didn't deserve to win the ball game," he said. "I don't think there was any more pressure on us than at any other time of the season. We just didn't hit the ball." "It's a big disappointment," said Fluck, who went 3-for-18 (.167) in five postseason games. "'We were expecting to win at least tonight's game.

But you have to give their pitching staff credit. We couldn't do much against in two games of the Frontier Cup The Paints also made their share of baserunning errors and other mistakes. With one out in the second, Wilcox was picked off first by DeVries. The next batter, Greg Reinhart, doubled to right center a hit that probably would have scored Wilcox. Another potential rally was squelched in the third when Riemer, after a leadoff single, was tagged out taking a wide turn around second base on a bunt by Fluck.

"'We made a lot of mental errors," Jempson said. For the season, Chillicothe owned a 32-9 record at Memorial Field..