By Lee W. Mowen

DANVILLE, IL – The Champion City Kings split a Tuesday doubleheader against the Danville Dans, dropping the first game 6-4 before securing a 7-6 win in the nightcap. Mitchell Okuley (Powell, OH; Ohio State) went 4-for-6 combined, with the Kings outhitting the Dans 17-13 in the fourteen innings.

In both games, the Dans jumped out on top first. For the first game, the Kings struck their first runs in the second inning, with Lukas Galdoni (Hawthorn Woods, IL; Butler) going yard to cut the early 2-0 Danville lead. The inning continued with back-to-back singles from Dallen Leach (Tallahassee, FL; Gulf Coast State College) and Okuley, followed with a hit-by-pitch to Bo Seccombe (Tallahassee, FL; Faulkner) to load the bases with no outs. Alex Finney (Oxford, MI; Ohio) singled in two runs for the lead and the last runs in the rally.

Danville dashed ahead with four runs in their fourth to reclaim the lead 6-3. The Kings could muster only one more run in this game, as Brent Widder (Sheboygan, WI; Evansville) doubled in the last run to continue his recent tear winning him the Prospect League Podcast’s Slugger of the Week award.

Starter Gage Voorhees (Springfield, OH; Flagler College) threw 3.2 IP, allowing all six runs and five of those earned. Caden Kline (Defiance, OH; Ohio State) and Trey Meade (Seaman, OH; Rio Grande) threw a combined 2.1 IP of scoreless baseball.

For the second game, Champion City got on the board in the third inning with two runs. Three more runs were added in the fourth inning to propel the Kings up 5-1. Brady Emerson (Cambridge, OH; Ohio State) led off the third with a full-count walk, pushed to third on Alex Ryan’s (Lake Mills, WI; Valparaiso) base hit. Chase Carney (Cincinnati, OH; Flagler College) hit a Sacrifice Fly out to left to tie the game. Ryan eventually came home on another Sac Fly, this time by Brent Widder.

In the three-run fourth, Ben Ross (Springfield, OH; Notre Dame College) hit his fifth home run to boost the lead. Danville would chip away at the lead until reclaiming the lead in the sixth with three runs of their own. It was the Komeback Kings turn in the seventh inning.

Widder led off with a single, Galdoni was hit with a pitch, Leach moved the runners over, and Okuley scored two off a base hit for the go-ahead runs. Tyberius Correa (Riverview, FL; Faulkner) would only allow one walk in the bottom of the seventh, in line for the comeback victory.

Starter Gage Phipps (Yorktown, IN; Butler) went 3.1 IP, allowing two earned runs on four hits, walking one and striking out three. Correa went two innings for the win, allowing one earned run on three hits.

The Kings, now 15-8 and a whopping 11-4 away from Carletown Davidson Stadium, still lead the Ohio River Valley Division by two games over the West Virginia Miners.

Champion City returns home this Wednesday against the Terre Haute Rex. Visit championcitykings.com for more information on tickets and how to watch the next games on PL TV.