By Lee W. Mowen

SPRINGFIELD, OH – Trailing 9-3 halfway through the contest, it looked as if the Chillicothe Paints would continue to defend their 2019 Prospect League Championship. However, the Champion City Kings came back, scoring seven runs in the last four innings to walk off their Ohio foe 10-9 in front of a crowd of 463.

Jake Miller (Chester, NY) got the nod for the first ever playoff game for the Kings in Springfield, facing the top hitting team from the regular season. The left-hander went 2-3 on the regular season in 10 starts with an ERA at 3.00. He faced a Paints team that finished the regular season at .292, the best in the Prospect League.

Chillicothe got on the board first, as Jake Shier picked up the first hit of the game. Shier would then swipe second and third base, eventually scoring on a wild pitch from Miller. This lead was short lived, as the Kings put two in their part of the opening frame. A one-out double by Ben Ross (Springfield, OH; Notre Dame College) set the table for Brent Widder (Sheboygan, WI; Evansville), as the shortshop hit a RBI double to tie the game up. In Chase Carney’s (Cincinnati, OH; Flagler College) return to the Kings, the centerfielder gave Champion City their first playoff lead on a RBI single, making the score 2-1.

It was Chillicothe’s offense that would put up the next eight of nine runs in the next four innings. In the second inning, the Paints knocked three in. Nathan Karaffa singled, drove to third on the base hit by DH Trey Maeker, and the tying run brought home on first baseman Jackson Feltner’s sacrifice fly. A two-base throwing error at Trey Smith’s at-bat scored two more, with the Paints now leading 4-2. In the third frame, Ben Gbur doubled and stole third, with Karaffa scooting him home on a base hit. The shortshop came home on a groundball error through the third baseman, allowing Feltner to reach first and pick up an RBI. Miller would reach eighty pitches and the end of the night after three innings, allowing six runs with only three earned, six hits, three walks, and four strikeouts. Gage Voorhees (Springfield, OH; Flagler College) would take over in the fourth, sitting Chillicothe down in order.

Champion City picked up their third run in the fourth off of Paints starter Tyler Wehrle. Bo Seccombe (Tallahassee, FL; Faulkner) drew a leadoff walk, and then moved to second on a balk. Treyben Funderburg (Beavercreek, OH; Ohio) followed up with a base hit to put runners at the corners with one away. Mitchell Okuley (Powell, OH; Ohio State) collected a sacrifice fly to score Seccombe, pulling the Kings within three.

The last three runs for Chillicothe were drilled by Jake Shier, as the third baseman would collect on his first home run of the year and in the playoffs. Karaffa led the inning off against Voorhees with a single, but the former Northwestern Warrior sat down the next two with strikeouts and got ahead of Feltner. The tides changed, as Feltner was safe on an error, continuing the inning and allowing Shier to send a long fly ball over the fence for the 9-3 Chillicothe lead.

In the sixth after Wehrle’s departure, that’s then the Komeback Kings begin the process. Wehrle went five innings on 93 pitches, allowing three earned runs on six hits, walking three and striking out two. Enter Dane Armbrustmacher, who has been tough against the Kings. With one start and two balls from the bullpen, Armburstmacher threw 11.2 innings with four earned runs, twelve hits, and thirteen strikeouts. The lefthanded walked Seccombe to begin the sixth, with Breyden Cavey pitch-hitting for Funderburg and doubled over Seccombe to third. A wild pitch scored Seccombe, and the Kings were down 9-4.

Zach Kendall took over for Chillicothe in the seventh inning, as Voorhees continued a strong performance from the bullpen. Widder welcomed in the Troy, Ohio native with a base hit, with Lukas Galdoni (Hawthorn Woods, IL; Butler) reaching first on a fielder’s choice and Widder remaining on the bases with an error. Carney then walked to load them up for Seccombe, who brought home two on a single. The Kings trailed 9-6 after seven.

In the eighth inning, it was Ross leading off with a walk. Another walk allowed Widder to get back on base, with Galdoni loading the bases up again with a hit. This time, Trey Carter (Wheelersburg, OH; Rio Grande) brought home two with a base hit. Champion City trailed by one heading into the ninth.

With three outs remaining for Chillicothe to defend their 2019 title, the Kings struck to send the home fans happy. With one out, Okuley tied the game up on a home run scoring over the center field fence. Ross followed that blast with a single into left field. Widder tacked on another hit, sending Ross over to third. With the winning run just ninety feet away, Galdoni drove a ball into the nighttime sky. The centerfielder caught it, giving Ross the green light to score and walk it off for the Champion City Kings. The final score was 10-9 Kings, with Champion City scoring seven runs in the last four innings.

Gage Voorhees picked up the playoff win, throwing six strong innings and holding the Paints to three unearned runs on three hits, zero walks, and six strikeouts. Zach Kendall was saddled with the loss, going 2.1 innings with five earned runs, six total runs on seven hits, four walks, and two strikeouts. The Kings outhit Chillicothe 14-9 in the game, with most of the hits coming against Miller.

The Champion City Kings are the Ohio River Valley Division Champions, winning their first playoff game since coming to Springfield.

With Lafayette defeating Danville at home 4-2, the Aviators are the Wabash River Division Champions and will host Champion City this Saturday at 7:00. While the regular season series ended in a 3-3 tie, the Kings are 2-1 at Lafayette and were the only team from the Ohio River Valley to win a three-game series at Loeb Stadium. Visit championcitykings.com for more information.