Champion won the third-place tiebreaker game over Kerrville Tivy on Monday and then opened the 2023 playoffs Thursday at home against Liberty Hill.
The Chargers took Game 1 over the Panthers, 7-3, and continued the series Friday at Liberty Hill with Games 2 and 3 if needed.
Champion improved to 24-9-1 with Thursday’s win and turned in a great defensive performance to go with some timely hitting.
Rowdy Miller improved his pitching record to 11-0 this year and went 6 innings on Thursday. He gave up 7 hits and 3 runs and threw 4 innings of shutout ball. Aidan Smith entered in the seventh and closed it out.
Champion’s defense turned three double plays in the game, one in the fourth, sixth and seventh frames.
“We started turning this thing around when our defense got better,” Chargers coach Ben Woodchick said. “We’re playing good defense, especially up the middle. Gage (Goldberg) caught well and Rowdy threw a gem.”
Jordan Ballin hit a 2-RBI single in the second to give the Chargers the early lead, and then later with a 4-3 advantage, Champion pinch hitter Grant Kinzel came up with a 2-RBI single in the fifth for some breathing room.
For more on the game and a recap of the series with the Panthers, see the Wednesday edition of the Boerne Star.
Chargers 9, Tivy 2
Champion jumped on the Antlers and was leading 7-0 by the third inning in Monday’s tiebreaker game.
Jared Wingo singled in the first to bring in Jordan Ballin from second. The Chargers scratched for 5 more runs in the second and took advantage of 3 walks, 3 errors and 2 singles to make it 6-0.
In the third, Evan Kuhl singled and scored Gage Goldberg from third for the 7-0 lead.
A home run by Tivy in the top of the fourth put the Antlers on the board but it was only a solo shot and the Chargers were still leading 7-1.
Champion tallied 2 more runs in the fifth and it was 9-1 and they were on the verge of a run- rule win but the Antlers extended the game to the seventh. Tivy did score a run in the top of the seventh for the 9-2 final.
All 12 of Champion’s hits were singles and they were paced by Wingo who swung a hot bat and knocked out 3 singles. Ballin, Kuhl, Sam Miller and Goldberg all finished with 2 hits apiece, while Ethan Harrison also recorded a single. Ballin scored 3 runs, while Quinn Grable, Garland Whitehead, Goldberg, Nic Cortez and Andrew Frei all crossed home plate once. Kuhl and Wingo picked up 2 RBI, while Ballin, Grable, Harrison and Miller all pushed in 1 run apiece.
Aidan Smith started on the hill and went 3 innings to pick up the win, Nate Mayo also tossed 3 innings and AJ Grizzaffi threw an inning.
Smith didn’t give up a hit or a run and he struck out 2 and walked just 1, Mayo yielded 3 hits, 1 run, with no walks, while Grizzaffi surrendered 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk and fanned 2.
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