CHILLICOTHE, OH – The Kings continue their recent explosion of offense, this time extracting revenge on the Chillicothe Paints 11-1 to snap a six-game slide. Kyle Kesel (Hilliard, OH; Hilliard Darby High School) and Cam Gilkerson (Hilliard, OH; Hilliard Darby H.S.) made their Kings debuts on the mound in relief.
Gercel Reyes-Alvarado (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Tallahassee Community College) made the start, throwing four strong innings of just three walks while striking out four on two hits. Kesel threw two frames, allowing the only Chillicothe run on the night on two hits, walking two and striking out three. cam Gilkerson slammed the door in the seventh, walking one, allowing no runs or hits, and striking out three. On the night, just three hits and six walks were allowed by the pitchers, while striking out ten.
Offensively, the Kings have been on a roll. Continuing a strong roll since picking up the first hit, C.J. Richmond (Indianapolis, IN; Iowa Western CC) went 4 for 4 with two RBI. Carson Womer (Parrish, FL; Florida State College at Jacksonville) led the way with 3 RBI, going 2 for 4. Every starter reached base against the Paints in the game.
The Kings struck for two runs in the second, thanks to Womer’s 2-RBI single. Two more runs came home in the third, as Blake Buzzeo (Stow, OH; Miami University) came home on an error to place Sam Seeker (Tallmadge, OH; University of Akron) on base. Richmond would then score Seeker with his first RBI on the night.
Five more runs came home in the visitor’s side of the fifth inning. Richmond scored another run with a RBI Triple, eventually coming home with another Womer RBI. Calin Smith (Peachtree City, GA; Marshall University) singled in the third run, followed by a 2-RBI Double by Evan Lorey (Howell, MI; Spring Arbor University.) Up 9-1 in the seventh, the Kings picked up their last runs with a Sam Seeker sacrifice fly and a balk to score Blake Buzzeo. Champion City won 11-1.
The Kings are now 2-6 on the year, finishing up a brief road trip to Danville tonight. The Kings are back home Saturday for Fireworks Night against the Lafayette Aviators. For tickets and PLTV information, keep it here to championcitykings.com!