By Lee W. Mowen

SPRINGFIELD, OH – If baseball fans wanted a game with lots of offense, they came to the right place Thursday Night at Carleton Davidson Stadium. A combined thirty-one runs on thirty hits with twenty-one stranded baserunners took place, as the Terre Haute Rex improved to 8-0 against Champion City with an 18-13 win. Only five zeroes would hit the scoreboard on a warm Thursday Night.

The Rex scored two to kick off the game against Kings’ starter Garrett Peters (Springfield, OH; Ohio State.) Alec Atkinson led off with a solo shot over the left-center field fence. The Rex added another run with a RBI Single by Dylan Janke, but the Kings got one of those runs back. Treyben Funderburg (Beavercreek, OH; Ohio) led off with a walk, with Ben Ross (Springfield, OH; Notre Dame College) picking up a base hit to scoot Funderburg over to third. With one out, a passed ball scored Funderburg and bumped Ross over to third. With the tying run over at third, the Kings could bring home Ross. The Rex led 2-1 after one, but added four runs in their second frame to lead by five.

Champion City got those four runs back in their second frame. Mitchell Okuley (Powell, OH; Ohio State) led off with a double, and Alex Ryan (Lake Mills, WI; Valparaiso) doubled home the runner from second. Edrick Padilla (Salinas, Puerto Rico; Ohio Wesleyan) reached on an error, and Brandon Emery (Troy, OH; Findlay) was hit with a pitch. Funderburg drew another walk with still nobody out, and Ben Ross was hit with a run-producing pitch. A double-play ball produced another run, but the tying run would be stranded at third once again with two outs. The Rex led 6-5 after two.

After a quiet third inning where neither team would score, the Rex pushed three more runs off of reliever Joe Toth (Stow, OH; Adrian College.) Jack Leverenz doubled in three runs to put Terre Haute up 9-5. Another solo shot by Atkinson in the fifth put the Rex up 10-5.

The Kings struck quickly against reliever Evan Magill, with Brent Widder (Sheboygan, WI; Evansville) leading off the fifth with a single. Lukas Galdoni (Hawthorn Woods, IL; Butler) followed up with his first hit, as Widder flew to third. Another double play scratched home a Kings run, with the deficit now sitting at 10-6.

Champion City chipped away two more runs in their sixth, as Alex Ryan led off with a single. Padilla reached on a Fielder’s Choice/E1 to put the Kings at first and second, with Emery following up with a run-producing hit. Funderburg almost reached base on a bunt hit, but his sacrifice scored another run. It was 10-8 visitors after the sixth.

A trio of unearned runs added to Terre Haute’s lead heading into the stretch, followed by another pair of runs in the eighth off of Nash Mose (Mount Zion, IL; Land Lake College.) The Kings would add four runs in their eighth off of Magill. Padilla led off with a walk, Emery picked up his second hit, Funderburg walked for the third time to load the bases with zero outs, and a Sacrifice Fly from J.J. Wetherholt (Gibsonia, PA; West Virginia) scooted home the first run. Widder doubled home a run, and Galdoni followed with a two-RBI single. Alex Finney (Oxford, MI; Ohio) and Ryan drew walks before the Rex brought out their closer in Alex Reinoehl. Champion City would settle for four runs with ten batters up.

In the ninth inning after the Rex added three more off of Trey Meade (Seaman, OH; Rio Grande), Champion City was looking to rally. Emery led off with his third base hit, with Funderburg walking for a fourth time. Wetherholt scored Emery with a single, but Reinoehl would regain his form to sit the next three batters down. The Rex would win 18-13.

Emery went 3-for-4 with a Hit-by-Pitch and three runs scored. Wetherholt, coming in for Ben Ross, added two RBI. Padilla scored three runs, coming home every time the designated hitter reached base.

Champion City will continue the homestand with two more doubleheaders, hosting Danville on Friday and Lafayette on Saturday. The Dans and Kings will resume their game from Springfield on July 7th, with Danville leading 6-1 in the Top of the 4th with one out. Visit championcitykings.com for more information on tickets and how to watch the next games on PL TV.