SPRINGFIELD, OH – With the trio of Gabe Phipps (Yorktown, IN; Tallahassee CC), Gercal Reyes-Alvarado (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Tallahassee CC), and Zach Cabell (North Ridgeville, OH; Clark State College) leading the way, the Champion City Kings opened the year with a 2-0 win over the Johnstown Mill Rats. The three pitchers combined for scatter seven hits and four walks across the season opener.
Phipps, back for his third year in Champion City, got out of a jam with two in scoring position in the opening frame. After allowing a leadoff single and two walks, Phipps would only allow just three hits his next four frames. The right-hander’s first game was capped off with eight straight Mill Rats batters retired. Although not a part of the decision for Opening Day, Phipps threw five quality innings of four hits, two walks of scoreless ball, striking out three on 73 pitches.
The bullpen continued the momentum, as Gercal Reyes-Alvarado was next up for the Kings. The right-hander would throw the next two-and-two-thirds innings, allowing three hits and two walks. Zach Cabell came in last, and kept Johnstown off the scoreboard in the eighth with the bases loaded and two outs.
The Kings offense struck quickly in their share of the seventh inning, as Centerfielder Sam Seeker (Tallmadge, OH; Univ. of Akron) doubled to start the inning. Shortshop Carson Womer (Parrish, FL; Florida State College at Jacksonville) followed up with a base hit to right to score the eventual winning run. Womer eventually came home on pitch-hitter Ben Zink’s (Clayton, OH; Wright State) sacrifice fly.
Cabell would finish the job in the ninth inning with a 1-2-3 inning to pick up the season’s first save. Reyes-Alvarado took the victory as the first call out of the bullpen. The three pitchers would walk four and hit two batters, giving up seven hits, and but Johnstown stranded eleven baserunners on the evening. Champion City also collected seven hits, with Womer pacing the offense with a 2-for-3 night and one run scored. Evan Lorey (Howell, MI; Spring Arbor Univ.), Broc Parmer (Fargo, ND; Gulf Coast State College), Sam Seeker, Hilario DeLaPaz III (Kalamazoo, MI; Tiffin Univ.), and Jake Sherman (Newark, OH; West Liberty Univ.) each had a hit for Champion City. The Kings stranded six baserunners.
With the 1-0 start to the season, the Kings now travel to Chillicothe for the first Battle of Ohio for a Thursday Night battle. First pitch is set for 7:00 and you can catch it on PLTV. Champion City returns to Springfield’s Carleton Davidson Stadium on Friday and Saturday against the defending champion Chillicothe Paints, with both nights getting started at 6:35. For tickets, PLTV links, the official Champion City Kings podcast, and more, visit championcitykings.com!