By Lee W. Mowen

DANVILLE, IL – The Champion City Kings began the last full week of the 2021 Prospect League season with a doubleheader at Danville. The Kings split the two contests against the Dans, winning the first game 6-5 in eight innings and falling 12-11 in the second battle.

In the first game, Garrett Peters (Springfield, OH; Ohio State) made his eighth start and tenth appearance. The left-hander threw well in the contest, allowing just a run in the first inning with one out and the bases jammed. While Peters walked three in four innings, the former Northeastern H.S. Jet struck out six and just allowed one base hit.

Down 1-0 heading into the fourth inning, the Kings tied the contest up. J.J. Wetherholt (Gibsonia, PA; West Virginia), this week’s Slugger of the Week in the Prospect League, tied the contest up with a RBI Double, scoring Mitchell Okuley (Powell, OH; Ohio State.)

The offense came alive in the fifth inning, tacking on four runs and leading 5-1. Alex Finney (Oxford, MI; Ohio) led off with a single, coasting to second on an error. Brandon Emery (Troy, OH; Findlay) was safe on a fielder’s choice, with runners at the corners against Dans starter Josh Emanuels. Ben Ross (Springfield, OH; Notre Dame College) hit a sacrifice fly to score Finney. Lukas Galdoni (Hawthorn Woods, IL; Butler) blasted a two-run home run to score Emery, but the Kings weren’t done. Okuley took a walk, which chased the starter away in favor of Cole Heath. Wetherholt struck again, this time with an RBI Triple to score Okuley. Danville got to work against reliever Trey Meade (Seaman, OH; Rio Grande.) A leadoff home run by Chase Vinson, followed by three unearned runs tied the game back up at 5-5.

Joel Gardner (Poca, WV; West Virginia) made his debut on the bump for Champion City in the seventh inning, allowing two walks and striking out one. With the scoreless inning tossed by the catcher, extra innings awaited these two teams.

With one out in the eighth, Breydan Cavey (Medina, OH; Akron) doubled. Finney picked up a big two-out single to score Cavey. The Kings went with Galdoni on the mound to close the first contest out, picking up his fifth save. Champion City outhit Danville 10-6 in the first contest.

In the second game, Gabe Phipps (Yorktown, IN; Butler) got the start and threw 3.2 innings, allowing eight earned runs and nine total, six hits, five walks, with three punchouts. The Dans scored two in the second, three in the third, and four in the fourth to lead 9-0 after four complete.

Champion City got to work in their fifth trailing by nine, as Ethan Krizen (North Port, FL; Thomas) walked to begin the frame. Bo Seccombe (Tallahassee, FL; Faulkner) followed up with a double, putting runners at second and third. Breydan Cavey doubled home both runs, and the Kings were on the board. Alex Ryan (Lake Mills, WI; Valparaiso) singled in Cavey, scoring on J.J. Wetherholt’s base hit. The Kings would settle for four runs, cutting the deficit down to 9-4. Danville added three more runs in their fifth, which turned out to be the game-winner.

Seven more runs scooted home in the sixth inning for Champion City, getting the bases loaded with no outs. A wild pitch with one out scored Krizen, Widder added two with a base hit, Galdoni singled in another run, capped off with a three-run home run from Mitchell Okuley. The Kings trailed 12-11 heading into the seventh, but Jackson Nichols threw a 1-2-3 inning to end the night. Champion City would split the series at Danville.

Wetherholt, coming off a week where the batter was hitting a whopping .684 in six games, went 4-for-8 in the doubleheader with three RBI. Joe Toth (Stow, OH; Adrian College) threw a scoreless sixth inning in Game Two. Joel Gardner won in his pitching debut in Game One.

Champion City hosts the Danville Dans for one game this Wednesday, before heading out on the road for the last time this regular season. The Kings will visit Terre Haute for a doubleheader, Chillicothe, and West Virginia for two games. 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.