Chillicothe upends defending champs; Joplin rolls to MINK Semis

The opening round of the MINK League Playoffs provided plenty of fireworks as Chillicothe pulled off a major upset and Joplin made a statement in the organization's first-ever playoff game.

No. 5 Chillicothe 12, No. 4 St. Joseph 6

Chillicothe pulled off the upset of the summer Monday night going on the road in the opening round of the MINK League Playoffs and hammering the defending champion St. Joseph Mustangs.

St. Joe had won back-to-back championships and owned a stellar 45-17 home record since the start of the 2024 campaign, but Chilli didn't back down from its long-time rival. The Mudcats, just 1-5 against the Mustangs in the regular season and 0-3 at Phil Welch Stadium, put up a crooked number in the fifth inning to stun the home team and never looked back.

Tied 3-3 through four innings, Chillicothe set the table without a hit in the next half inning. Walks to Kobe Wagers and JP Gonzalez with a Max Heintz hit-by-pitched sandwiched in between set the table with one out in the fifth. Alejandro Somaza singled to bring in the go-ahead run and keep the bases full, followed by a two-RBI single from Ryder McCann to make it a 6-3 game. After a strikeout, Cole Adair doubled home two more runs to keep the pressure on St. Joseph. Jevon Raboy reached on an error that scored Adair, and Raboy scored two batters later when Heintz laced a single to left. Seven runs came through in the inning for the Mudcats on four hits, three walks, a hit batter and an error.

The Mustangs scratched out a couple runs in the sixth and one more in the ninth inning, but the comeback fell well short.

The 12 runs plated by the Mudcats is their highest total in the month of July, and most since scoring 14 at home in their lone regular season win over the Mustangs.

Chillicothe's path to the MINK League Championship Series takes them to another rival, Clarinda. The top-seeded A's await the Mudcats Tuesday at 7pm at Eberly Field in Clarinda.

No. 6 North Missouri 3, No. 3 Joplin 20

A pair of MINK League newcomers met in the first round of the playoffs, but Joplin left no doubt in a battle played in southern Missouri. The Jailbirds routed the North Missouri Nattys 20-3 in seven innings to move onto the MINK Semifinals Tuesday night.

Joplin's 20 runs marks their second-highest total of the season, trailing only a 21-10 victory over Nevada earlier this month.

The Jailbirds quite literally came out swinging Monday night. Blake Jones and Drew Vonder Harr each put up two-RBI singles in the first inning, with Rocco Reagan putting the exclamation point on the inning with a three-run home run. Joplin plated seven runs in the first, all coming with one out.

Things didn't ease up for the Nattys in the second inning. The Jailbirds put up five more, punctuated by Drake Lee's double that brought in two, and a two-run homer from Austin Marsh.

Three more runs in the fourth inning gave Joplin a commanding 15-0 lead. North Missouri got on the scoreboard with one in the fifth and two runs in the sixth inning, but the game was well out of reach.

Eric Williams Jr. homered in the fourth and sixth innings en route to a 3-5 night at the plate with five RBIs for Joplin. Lee was 3-4 with four RBIs.

Cross Dowd improved to 4-0 on the season with six innings of two-run ball, racking up 11 strikeouts.

The Jailbirds have won five straight and seven of nine overall.

Joplin will face Carroll, the No. 2 seed, Tuesday night. The Jailbirds and Merchants split their six regular season meetings.

MINK League Playoff Schedule (Updated 7/28/2026)