SPRINGFIELD, OH – The Champion City Kings used two three-run innings to take an early lead and to send the game into extra innings, but the Terre Haute Rex were able to survive the rally to take the first game of the doubleheader 7-6 in eight innings.
In the second inning, the Kings got their first three runs home. Jayson Zmejkoski (North Port, FL; Tallahassee CC) capped off a successful inning with a 2-RBI single, as Champion City led 3-0.
Connor Lockwood (Libertyville, IL; Valparaiso) kept the bats quiet for the first two innings, with the tides changing in their share of the third. The Rex, leading the Prospect League in team batting average, got a run home in the third and taking the lead for awhile with three in the fourth inning. Terre Haute added an extra run in the sixth and seventh innings, leaving the Kings with a 6-3 lead and three outs to work.
Alex Ryan (Lake Mills, WI; Valparaiso) collected his fourth home run of the year, drawing the deficit down to one. Matt Mercer (Richton, MS; Pearl River CC) got onboard afterwards, and came around to score thanks to Edrick Padilla’s (Salinas, Puerto Rico; Ohio Wesleyan) base hit.
The Kings were unable to answer in the eighth inning, back down by a run. Lockwood went 4.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on eleven hits, one walk, and six strikeouts. Noah Penney (Fort Murray, Alberta, Canada; Tiffin University) took the loss despite allowing zero hits but two runs.