By Lee W. Mowen
SPRINGFIELD, OHIO – Drew Lang (Naples, FL; Tallahassee CC) made his debut and pitched five innings of strong baseball, but the Johnstown Mill Rats scored the game’s first six runs en route to a 6-2 win on Friday Night against the Champion City Kings.
The Mill Rats got on the board first, with a pair of two-out RBI singles. Johnstown added one more run in the fifth, although went quietly after a leadoff double and RBI single. As the Kings went to the pen, Johnstown got three more runs in the game. Gabe Carter (Huntington, WV; Rio Grande) made his debut, throwing an inning and allowing a two-run home run. Noah Penney (Fort Murray, Alberta, Canada; Tiffin University) pitched two strong innings, getting the first two outs of the seventh and eighth inning quickly. Aaron Miller (Canton, OH; Notre Dame College) threw a scoreless, hitless ninth inning, striking out three batters.
Champion City’s lone runs came in their share of the eighth, when Patrick Fultz (Springfield, OH; Springfield Shawnee High School) singled to left field. Nick Dolan (Pittsburgh, PA; Ohio University) walked with one out, followed with another walk to Edrick Padilla (Salinas, Puerto Rico; Ohio Wesleyan.) Ben Stuart (Mason, OH; Evansville) was hit with a pitch on a full count to bring in the first run. The second score was Jonah Sutton’s (Collierville, TN; Memphis) RBI single out to right. The Mill Rats shut the door after that point to make it a 6-2 final.
The Kings will visit Johnstown for the next two games before returning home to Carleton Davidson Stadium on Monday, June 6th against the Johnstown Mill Rats on Teachers’ Appreciation Night. For tickets, event information, PLTV links, and more, please visit championcitykings.com!