By Lee W. Mowen

SPRINGFIELD, OH – If you just take a look at the final score, you might not realize how strong of a pitcher’s tandem fans at Carleton Davidson Stadium witnessed. Between Champion City’s Austin Mora (Cleveland, OH; Notre Dame College) and Chillicothe’s Dane Armbrustmacher, the two throwers kept the offenses quiet through five innings.

Mora, looking to bounce back from his debut with the Kings going one-third of an inning and allowing three runs, began the contest strong. The right-hander struck out the first batter, then coaxed a harmless fly ball to left for two outs in the opening frame. With two gone in the first frame, Mora would walk the next two batters before ending the inning with another strikeout. Mora kept the Paints quiet through the first five.

The Kings would get some baserunners against Armbrustmacher, including a bases-loaded situation in the fourth inning. The left-hander pitched well, gliding through five along with his counterpart.

In the sixth inning with Mora still pitching for Champion City, Kent Reeser hit his fifth home run for the game’s first runs. Isaac Bair would pick up a double to chase Mora with one out, bringing in Gabe Phipps (Yorktown, IN; Butler) to close the inning. The reliever got the two outs needed, stranding the Chillicothe catcher at third base.

Champion City also got on the board in the sixth, with a leadoff single for Brent Widder (Sheboygan, WI; Evansville.) During the at-bat for J.J. Wetherholt (Gibsonia, PA; West Virginia), Widder was caught stealing to put the second out on the board. As Armbrustmacher was looking to keep the Kings off the board needing just one more out, Wetherholt unloaded his first home run of the season out to left. It was 2-1 Paints after six innings.

Fast forward to the eighth inning, as Chillicothe chipped in two more runs with Phipps still on the bump. With Reeser on second after a stolen base, Bair struck for an RBI single to put the Paints back up by two. With two outs, Jackson Feltner added the fourth run with a run-producing base hit by scoring Bair from second.

The Paints would go to their bullpen in the eighth, with Armbrustmacher over the pitch limit. Marshall Pile gave up two walks and gave way to Ruben Ramirez who got the final out in the eighth with two on.

It was the ninth inning that completely flipped the game from a close battle to a runaway. The Paints faced four pitchers, scoring nine earned runs on eight hits, two walks, and no errors. Alex Ludwick, Isaac Bair, and Trey Maeker each hit a two-run home run, with Jackson Feltner collecting a solo shot. Kent Reeser tripled in two more runs, and the Paints lead 13-1 with the Kings down to their last three outs. Alex Finney (Oxford, MI; Ohio) hit his first home run of the year to scratch in the last run of the game. Chillicothe won 13-2.

Despite suffering the loss, Mora threw well in 5.1 innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits, walking three and striking out three. Gabe Phipps gave up two runs in 2.2 innings on four hits, one walk, and two strikeouts. Armbrustmacher went seven strong, just allowing one run on five hits, three walks, and six punchouts for his fifth win of the season.

Champion City will host the Chillicothe Paints for the final time in the 2021 regular season this Sunday. The Kings will then hit the road for five of six days this upcoming week, hosting the Danville Dans for one game this Wednesday. 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.