diff --git a/blockchain/reactor.go b/blockchain/reactor.go
index f7c7586e9..bfa671d02 100644
--- a/blockchain/reactor.go
+++ b/blockchain/reactor.go
@@ -235,23 +235,18 @@ FOR_LOOP:
 					break SYNC_LOOP
 				} else {
 					bcR.pool.PopRequest()
-					// TODO: use ApplyBlock instead of Exec/Commit/SetAppHash/Save
+
+					bcR.store.SaveBlock(first, firstParts, second.LastCommit)
+
 					// TODO: should we be firing events? need to fire NewBlock events manually ...
-					err := bcR.state.ExecBlock(bcR.evsw, bcR.proxyAppConn, first, firstPartsHeader)
-					if err != nil {
-						// TODO This is bad, are we zombie?
-						PanicQ(Fmt("Failed to process committed block (%d:%X): %v", first.Height, first.Hash(), err))
-					}
 					// NOTE: we could improve performance if we
 					// didn't make the app commit to disk every block
 					// ... but we would need a way to get the hash without it persisting
-					res := bcR.proxyAppConn.CommitSync()
-					if res.IsErr() {
-						// TODO Handle gracefully.
-						PanicQ(Fmt("Failed to commit block at application: %v", res))
+					err := bcR.state.ApplyBlock(bcR.evsw, bcR.proxyAppConn, first, firstPartsHeader, sm.MockMempool{})
+					if err != nil {
+						// TODO This is bad, are we zombie?
+						PanicQ(Fmt("Failed to process committed block (%d:%X): %v", first.Height, first.Hash(), err))
 					}
-					bcR.store.SaveBlock(first, firstParts, second.LastCommit)
-					bcR.state.AppHash = res.Data
 					bcR.state.Save()
 				}
 			}
diff --git a/state/execution.go b/state/execution.go
index 016fe50c3..cec4849ab 100644
--- a/state/execution.go
+++ b/state/execution.go
@@ -280,12 +280,12 @@ type Mempool interface {
 	Update(height int, txs []types.Tx)
 }
 
-type mockMempool struct {
+type MockMempool struct {
 }
 
-func (m mockMempool) Lock()                             {}
-func (m mockMempool) Unlock()                           {}
-func (m mockMempool) Update(height int, txs []types.Tx) {}
+func (m MockMempool) Lock()                             {}
+func (m MockMempool) Unlock()                           {}
+func (m MockMempool) Update(height int, txs []types.Tx) {}
 
 //----------------------------------------------------------------
 // Handshake with app to sync to latest state of core by replaying blocks
@@ -386,7 +386,7 @@ func (h *Handshaker) ReplayBlocks(appHash []byte, appBlockHeight int, appConnCon
 		var eventCache types.Fireable // nil
 
 		// replay the block against the actual tendermint state
-		return h.state.ApplyBlock(eventCache, appConnConsensus, block, blockMeta.PartsHeader, mockMempool{})
+		return h.state.ApplyBlock(eventCache, appConnConsensus, block, blockMeta.PartsHeader, MockMempool{})
 
 	} else {
 		// either we're caught up or there's blocks to replay
diff --git a/state/execution_test.go b/state/execution_test.go
index e0527a42e..cbaab0997 100644
--- a/state/execution_test.go
+++ b/state/execution_test.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ var (
 	privKey      = crypto.GenPrivKeyEd25519FromSecret([]byte("handshake_test"))
 	chainID      = "handshake_chain"
 	nBlocks      = 5
-	mempool      = mockMempool{}
+	mempool      = MockMempool{}
 	testPartSize = 65536
 )