SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Champion City Kings (6-12) and the Dubois County Bombers (8-12) finished up the four game home-and-home series on Wednesday (June 19) night at Carleton Davidson Stadium. The Kings tried to rally in the middle innings before the Bombers won 16-5.
Like the first game in Springfield, Dubois County started with two runs in the first and four in the second inning to take a 6-0 lead early.
The Champion City rally began in the fourth inning with two runs scored. Louis Florida (Wilmette, Illinois / DePauw) walked and moved to second base on a wild pitch. Joe Ricchio (Pleasant Praire, Wisconsin / Southern Indiana) singled Florida home with his team-leading 11th RBI. Caden Miller (Lockport, Illinois / Alvin CC) singled and Evan Houseman (Springfield, Ohio / Bluffton) walked to load the bases with two outs. Justin Maurer (Springfield, Ohio / Bluffton) brought one run home with a single before a second run was cut down at the plate. Champion City cut the lead to 6-2.
In the fifth inning, the Bombers scored once with the Kings continuing to cut into the Bombers lead in the bottom half. A walk by Drew Gaskins (Sunbury, Ohio / Oakland), an error and a Florida hit by pitch loaded the bags for the home team. Salvador Diaz (Norwalk, California / Gallaudet) lined a three-run double over the right fielder’s head to make it 7-5 after five frames.
Nine runs in the Dubois County sixth inning pushed the Bombers lead to 16-5 as the game ended after seven innings.
Five different Kings players had hits in the game with Diaz plating three runs on his extra-base hit. Florida scored twice with reaching base twice in the game.
Joe Tootle (Powell, Ohio / Ohio Northern) started and allowed six runs in two innings of work. Riley Niggemeyer (South Vienna, Ohio / Schoolcraft College) pitched four innings with ten runs given up in relief. Kolten Poorman (Bonne Terre, Missouri / Eastern Illinois) finished the game with a scoreless seventh inning in his first pitching action of the summer.
Champion City heads on the road with two road games at Danville and REX Baseball. The Kings will be at Danville on Thursday (June 20) and REX on Friday (June 21). Carleton Davidson Stadium will host the Kings and Chillicothe Paints on Saturday (June 22) at 6:35 PM.