SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Champion City Kings (4-8) closed the series with the visiting Normal Cornbelters (6-8) on Wednesday (June 12) night at Carleton Davidson Stadium.
Normal knotted the series with an 11-3 win over the Kings. The Cornbelters used a major middle innings run to create some distance with the Kings.
The Cornbelters scored single runs in the second and fourth innings before plating mulitple runs in the fifth through seventh innings. With four runs in the fifth, three in the sixth and two in the seventh, Normal led 11-0 entering the stretch.
In the Kings half of the seventh, Louis Florida (Wilmette, Illinois / DePauw) led off with a double and scored when Joe Ricchio (Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin / Southern Indiana) blasted a two-run home run to left field.
Champion City struck once more in the ninth inning. Nicholas Weyrich (London, Ohio / Marshall) and Lucas Day (Dayton, Ohio / Oakland) both walked before Justin Maurer (Springfield, Ohio / Bluffton) reached on an error. A passed ball scored Weyrich and closed the scoring at 11-3.
Drew Gaskins (Sunbury, Ohio / Oakland) singled twice while eight players notched hits. Florida and Caden Miller (Lockport, Illinois / Alvin CC) both doubled with Ricchio homering.
Joe Tootle (Powell, Ohio / Ohio Northern) started and gave up six runs in four innings, taking the loss. Riley Niggemeyer (South Vienna, Ohio / Schoolcraft College) allowed three runs in two innings of relief. Evan Ables (Dayton, Ohio / PennWest California) pitched three innings with two runs allowed.
The Kings will play twice in Chillicothe on Thursday (June 13) and Friday (June 14) before two games in Dubois County this weekend.