KINGS GROUND AVIATORS 5-4
SPRINGFIELD, OH - The Champion City Kings (19-16) have moved into third-place in the Prospect League's East division after a 5-4 victory over the Lafayette Aviators on Tuesday night in front of a packed house at Carleton Davidson Stadium.
Champion City struck first on a solo home run to right center field off the bat of Jacob Freeland (Faulkner University) in the bottom of the first inning. Aaron Hughes (Ohio State) followed that up in the bottom of the second inning with an RBI double that scored Stephen Cullen (Motlow State CC) and gave the Kings a 2-0 advantage.
Lafayette cut the Champion City lead in half with a sacrifice fly to center field in the top of the third. Designated hitter, Matt Mackey, hit a two-run home run to left field in the top of the fourth that gave the Aviators their first lead of the game at 3-2. The lead did not last long, as Cullen blasted a solo shot in the bottom of the fourth to even the game up at three a piece.
The game went back-and-fourth again in the fifth as the Aviators took back the lead on a solo home run of their own, but the Kings would answer again. Hughes led off the bottom the fifth with a single. Newly signed catcher, Dawson Degnan (Long Island University), laid down a sacrifice bunt that moved Hughes into scoring position at second base. Hughes advanced to third on a stolen base and was brought in on an RBI single from Chase Carney (Urbana University) to tie the game back up at 4-4.
In the bottom of the seventh, Marcus Ernst (Ohio State) blasted the Kings third solo home run of the evening, an opposite field moonshot that put Champion City ahead 5-4 and wound up being the game-winner.
A pair of local pitchers, Wes Earles (South Charleston, OH) and Noah Schleinitz (Springfield, OH), took the mound for the Kings during Tuesday night's contest. Earles started the game and tossed four innings, gave up five hits, three runs, and struck out nine. Schleinitz earned his first win of the season allowing three hits, one run, and five strikeouts through five innings of relief work.
Carney collected a pair of singles and an RBI (6), Cullen went two-for-three with a home run (8), and Hughes added two hits with a double (5) and an RBI (9).
The Kings welcome in the Aviators for the final home game of the week tonight before they hit the road to take on the Miners for a four-game series in Beckley, WV. First pitch scheduled for 6:35 PM.
Photo credit: Paige Marratta
