SPRINGFIELD, OH – If you wanted to see runs, offense, several home runs, and a combination of thirty-six hits on a brisk Monday evening, you were at the right place at Carleton Davidson Stadium. Despite jumping ahead 4-1 after two innings and securing the first home runs of the year, the Champion City Kings fell to the Chillicothe Paints 20-11.
The Paints got the first run of the game against starter Gabe Phipps (Yorktown, IN; Tallahassee Community College), but the Kings quickly went to work in their first inning. It was a leadoff home run by Calin Smith (Peachtree City, GA; Marshall University.) His first blast was also the team’s first, but it wouldn’t be the last of the game. Just a few batters later, Broc Parmer (Fargo, ND; Gulf Coast State College) hit his first home run to also score Blake Buzzeo (Stow, OH; Miami University.) The Kings would add to their lead in the following inning, as Smith picked up an RBI Groundout to put the lead at 4-1.
While the Paints would score the next fourteen runs in their fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, the Kings offense wasn’t finished. Smith, already with two RBI into the sixth frame, drew a bases-loaded walk to score the first Champion City run since the second inning. Buzzeo would then pick up a Sacrifice Fly to bring the Kings out of run-rule distance.
Lucas Day (Dayton, OH; Oakland University), coming in hitless into tonight’s game, already had a single and double in the contest heading into the seventh inning. With runners squatted on the corners, Day unleashed his first home run with the Springfield Club, setting him up just a triple shy of the cycle. The Kings were trailing by six after seven 15-9.
Two more runs came home for Champion City in the ninth, as Day reached third on an error to score Evan Lorey (Howell, MI; Spring Arbor University.) Day came home on a sacrifice fly by Carson Womer (Parrish, FL; Florida State College at Jacksonville) to close out the offensive showcase, as Chillicothe won 20-11. The Kings fell to 1-5, having dropped the first five contests in the month of June.
Pitching for the Kings, Phipps suffered the loss with four innings recorded and facing a few in the fifth. His total line was eight earned runs on ten hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Ben Zink (Clayton, OH; Wright State University) threw two innings, allowing seven runs (four earned) on eight hits, no walks, and one punchout. Andrew DeWitt (Springfield, OH; Clark State College) threw another two innings, allowing three runs (one earned), one hit, four walks, and two strikeouts. Johnathan Ray (Sylvania, OH; Tiffin University) threw 2/3rds of the ninth inning, with two runs scoring on two hits and three walks with two strikeouts. Hilario DeLaPaz III (Kalamazoo, MI; Tiffin University) got the final out with just two pitches.
The Kings turn their attention to the Terre Haute Rex back at Carleton Davidson Stadium on Tuesday Night. For tickets and PLTV streams, keep it here to championcitykings.com!