Left-hander Bryan Johnson and two relievers combined on a five-hit shutout Saturday night to lead host Chillicothe to a 4-0 Frontier League baseball win over Florence at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Johnson (4-2) gained his second win over Florence this season by working 6 1/3 innings, allowing only three hits and striking out four. What made the shutout seem improbable was the fact that Johnson walked nine batters, and Paints pitching combined to walk 11 Freedom hitters. Florence left the bases loaded three times and stranded a total of 14 runners to drop its third straight game this season and ninth straight game overall at Chillicothe.

The host Paints ended a two-game losing streak largely on the strength of their long-ball power. Third baseman Adrian Cantu got Chillicothe on the board first with a solo drive to right leading off the second inning against Florence starter and loser Alain Quijano (1-2). The Paints added another run to their lead against Quijano in the third inning when catcher Dan Cummins’ two-out double to right scored Dustin Richardson from second.

When shortstop Travis Garcia homered off Quijano to start the sixth inning, Johnson had been staked to a 3-0 advantage and the visiting Freedom had already stranded eight runners on base.

After the Paints scored their final run in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk to Cantu, the Freedom had their best opportunity to get on the board in the eighth. Third baseman Tim Grogan led off the inning with a walk off reliever Marty Wiesler, and second baseman Joe Holland followed with a double into the right-field corner. Grogan tried to score all the way from first on the play but was cut down at the plate on a perfect relay throw by Chillicothe second baseman Evan Sobel. Florence would go on to load the bases with two outs but Chillicothe reliever Eric Teall retired Reggie Watson on a fly ball to right to end the threat. Teall then worked a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the shutout and gain his fifth save of the season.

The loss negated an outstanding offensive night for Freedom right fielder Greg Stone, who reached base four times on two walks and a pair of singles. Florence designated hitter Beau Blacken was held hitless in four trips with a walk to end his hitting streak at seven consecutive games. Blacken had gone 9-for-14 during the streak with four doubles, a grand slam home run and six RBIs.

Florence and Chillicothe wrap up their two-game series at VA Memorial Stadium at 6:05 p.m. EDT Sunday. The two teams are both 16-21 and tied for second place in the league’s Eastern Division. Florence will send rookie right-hander Nick Dunning to the mound Sunday in an effort to end its long losing streak to the Paints in Chillicothe.