By Lee W. Mowen

SPRINGFIELD, OH – In this game lasting nearing three and a half hours, both teams combined for 33 runs, 31 hits, and seven errors as the miners completed a two-game sweep of the Kings at Carleton Davidson Stadium. This contest also featured six home runs, as Bo Seccombe (Tallahassee, FL; Faulkner) swatted two home runs.

The Miners took the lead for good in the opening frame, accounting for two earned runs off of start Trey Carter (Wheelersburg, OH; Rio Grande.) Champion City was able to get the early 2-0 mark cut in half, with Lukas Galdoni (Hawthorn Woods, IL; Butler) scoring the speedy Ben Ross (Springfield, OH; Notre Dame College) on a groundout. It was 2-1 West Virginia after one.

West Virginia added on to the lead, as Richard Ortiz hit his first of two three-run home runs, all unearned against Carter’s record because of a previous error. Carter would throw a 1-2-3 inning in the third for his last frame of work.

Champion City picked up another run in their third frame, as Mitchell Okuley (Powell, OH; Ohio State) reached on a one-out hit-by-pitch. With Okuley moving to third on a wild pitch from starter Eric Gustofson, Galdoni drew the attention from the infield. With enough pressure chasing Galdoni, Okuley stole home before Galdoni was tagged out. The Miners led 5-2 after three.

West Virginia got five more runs off of reliever Gabe Phipps (Yorktown, IN; Butler) with four of those runs earned. Joe Toth (Stow, OH; Adrian College) would come in to close the fourth, with the Miners on top 10-2. The Kings would battle back with three of their own in their share of the fourth. Bo Seccombe led off with a hit-by-pitch, followed by a walk to J.J. Wetherholt (Gibsonia, PA; West Virginia) and a RBI Single by Alex Ryan (Lake Mills, WI; Valparaiso.) A walk to Alex Finney (Oxford, MI; Ohio) loaded the bases with nobody out. A one-out sacrifice fly by Ben Ross scored another run, and Alex Finney stole home for the three runs in the inning. 10-5 West Virginia was the score after four.

The Miners scored another three runs in the fifth inning, as Toth was one strike away from getting out of the inning with just one run in. Bradley McLean, already with two RBI collected, pushed in another Miner run, followed by a bases-loaded Hit-by-pitch. Trey Meade (Seaman, OH; Rio Grande) got the last out to send the Kings up to bat. After a leadoff single by Okuley, defensive replacement Ethan Krizen (North Port, FL; Thomas) jolted a home run over the fence to score two quick runs. Seccombe, with one away, drilled the second home run of the inning for the Kings to get the three runs back.

Another three runs came home for West Virginia, with Ortiz connecting on his second three-run home run off of Meade. The Miners made their only call to the bullpen for the bottom of the sixth, as Andrew Neff took the place of Gustofson. Treyben Funderburg (Beavercreek, OH; Ohio) took the first Neff pitch over the left-field fence. Okuley picked up another single, with Krizen following up with another base hit. Galdoni took a full-count walk, and Seccombe stood back up. On a 2-1 pitch from Neff, the leftfielder belted a Grand Slam over the fence to pull the Kings within three. The score after six: West Virginia 16, Champion City 13.

Neither team could score in the seventh inning, a first in this offensive game. The Miners would get an unearned run off of Gage Voorhees (Springfield, OH; Flagler College) in the eighth inning, which would turn out to be the winning run.

Two more runs trickled home for the Kings in their eighth, with Okuley leading off with a double. Krizen walked to reach base for the third straight time, but not before the Powell, Ohio native scored on a wild pitch and error to score from second base. Alex Ryan reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring Krizen from third base.

Down to the final three outs, Champion City needed two to tie and three to walk off the Miners. With Neff sitting at 67 pitches after three innings thrown, there were concerns about needing a second reliever to enter. The Kings got off to a good start, with a leadoff single ripped by Funderburg. Ben Ross followed with another base hit, his first against Neff. With two in scoring position, Okuley poked a Sac Fly out to left to bring the deficit down to one, the lowest mark since the first inning concluded. An intentional walk to Krizen put the batter at first, but would be forced out for the final out of the game. West Virginia won 17-16.

Despite the sweep, the Kings collected 16 hits to outhit West Virginia by one. The Kings defense committed five errors on the game, with two happening in the three-run fifth. Gustofson picked up his first decision for the Miners, with Neff locking in the four-inning save. Carter was saddled with the loss. Voorhees threw a clean 2.2 innings, with just one hit and one unearned run allowed. Seccombe finished the game 2-for-5, with five RBI. Krizen went 2-for-2 with two walks, and Okuley went off with a 4-for-4 night with a RBI and four runs scored.

Champion City will host the Chillicothe Paints for the final time in the 2021 regular season this weekend. Playoff tickets are now on sale by visiting the ticket office at Carleton Davidson Stadium one hour before any home game or by visiting The MacRay Co. on West North Street in Springfield. Visit championcitykings.com for more information on tickets and how to watch the next games on PL TV.