SPRINGFIELD, Ohio – The Champion City Kings (17-36, 10-14) needed a win over the Johnstown Mill Rats (24-29, 11-13) to remain in the 2024 race for the Prospect League playoffs.
Trailing 7-2 at the seventh inning stretch, the Kings rallied to walkoff against the Mill Rats 8-7. With the win, Champion City sits one game behind Johnstown for the final playoff spot with three games to go on the docket.
Johnstown started the scoring with three runs in the third inning and one in the fourth, leading 4-0.
Champion City cut the lead in half in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ben Bach (Waconia, Minnesota / USAO) led off with a single up the middle. Lucas Day (Dayton, Ohio / Oakland) doubled to center field to put two runners in scoring position. Blake Buzzeo (Stow, Ohio / Miami (Ohio)) singled home Bach. After a walk to Salvador Diaz (Norwalk, California / Gallaudet) loading the bases, Ray Hawkins (Miamisburg, Ohio / Palm Beach Atlantic) grounded into a forceout to score Day. The Kings trailed 4-2 after four innings.
The Mill Rats added single runs in each of the next three innings to lead 7-2 in the middle of the seventh inning.
Johnny Costella (Cleveland, Ohio / Notre Dame College) doubled in the seventh inning and was driven in by a James Salvatori (Wheeling, West Virginia / West Liberty) RBI single. The lead was cut to 7-3 with two more innings left for the Kings.
Diaz provided some Sunday afternoon fireworks with a two-run home run off the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth after Buzzeo singled. His fourth blast of the year got the Kings within 7-5. Hawkins and Costella both singled later in the frame and Salvatori plated one run with a RBI single ending the inning with a 7-6 deficit.
The ninth inning saw the Kings complete the comeback. Alex Jones (Amherst, Ohio / Notre Dame College) singled to right field before Bach coaxed a walk. A double steal got both runners in place for Kolten Poorman’s heroics. Poorman shot a line drive to left center field, scoring Jones and Bach for Champion City to win 8-7.
Costella had three hits in the game with Buzzeo and Salvatori having two hit games. Salvatori, Poorman and Diaz combined to drive in six of the eight runs.
Tristan Harley (Tallahassee, Florida / Embry-Riddle) started and allowed five runs in four and two thirds innings. He struck out six batters in his start. Riley Niggemeyer (South Vienna, Ohio / Schoolcraft) gave up one run in 1.1 innings while Jake Woolf (Dayton, Ohio / Walsh) made his 2024 debut with one run allowed in two innings. Joe Stone (Waynesville, Ohio / Thomas More) got the win with getting the final two outs.
Champion City will head to Lafayette on Monday (July 29) for a crucial contest. The home finale comes Tuesday against Chillicothe with Halloween in July at 6:35 PM.