The Florence Freedom (3-2) scored all their runs in the sixth inning Sunday afternoon and rode the four-hit pitching of four different pitchers to a 3-1 victory and a two-game sweep of the visiting Chillicothe Paints (2-2) in Frontier League baseball action at Champion Window Field.

Center fielder Garth McKinney connected for a two-run homer off Paints reliever Stephen Spragg with one out in the sixth to break a 1-1 tie and provide the Freedom’s winning margin. The home run was the first for McKinney and one of his two hits on the day. Right fielder Angel Molina singled in a run and also finished with a pair of hits as the Freedom out-hit the Paints 8-4. Florence trailed 1-0 in the sixth when third baseman Tim Grogan, a former Covington Catholic High star, led off the inning with a double to the wall in left-center field. Left fielder Ryan Basham followed with a groundout to first that moved Grogan to third with one out. Chillicothe elected to play the infield halfway in with Molina at the plate, and the right-handed hitter sizzled a hard ground ball between first baseman Jon Poterson and the bag and down the right field line to score Grogan with the tying run. That’s when Chillicothe manager Mark Mason replaced one side-arming right-hander – McCullough – with another – Spragg. The first batter Spragg faced, designated hitter Nick Salotti, flied to center for the second out setting the stage for McKinney’s first homer in a Freedom uniform.

Florence starter Demetrius Banks failed for the second straight start to make it thru the necessary five innings to qualify for a win. Banks was charged with one unearned run in 4 1/3 innings before being relieved by right-hander Nick Dunning with a runner aboard and one out in the fifth. Banks only gave up three hits, but he was hurt by four walks and the fact that he was forced to throw 90 pitches. Dunning (1-0) proceeded to strike out Drew Saylor and Travis Garcia to end the fifth, and went on to work two more scoreless innings to earn the win. Right-hander Yosanny Ibanez, who was activated by the Freedom before the game, made his Frontier League debut with a scoreless eighth inning. The former San Francisco Giants farmhand walked two batters and fanned two to keep the Paints off the board. Florence closer Cody Castle finished off the win with a perfect ninth inning to pick up his second save of the season in as many chances.

The Freedom have won three of the first five games on their season-opening eight-game home stand. They’ll take the day off Monday before opening up a three-game series at 11:05 a.m. EDT Tuesday against the visiting Midwest Sliders at Champion Window Field. Florence will send right-hander Liam Shanahan (1-0) to the mound in search of his second consecutive win.