After a 13-year absence, the Milesburg Iron Kings have reentered the Centre County Baseball League for the 2024 season. The team began play on Sunday, May 19, at home against the Spike Island Pirates, but, unfortunately, things didn’t go exactly according to plan for the Kings.
The Pirates scored four runs in the first two innings and then another three in the fifth inning on the way to a 10-5 victory in the opening game for both teams.
Spike Island’s Derek Fravel hit a double and drove in two runs, while Denny Prestash drove in three runs as the Pirates knocked out a total of 10 hits on the day.
The Iron Kings at one point made it a game with two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning that closed the score to 4-2.
But Spike Island immediately answered with three runs in the fifth that eventually proved to be the winners. Both teams then scored three runs in the seventh inning to complete the scoring.
The Pirates took advantage of five walks in the first inning to plate two runs, and then in the second inning, Fravel stroked a two-run double that gave them an early 4-0 lead.
In the fourth inning, Milesburg scored on a walk, a hit batter and a single by Tyler Lalli before Timmy Shawley doubled in two runs that put the Kings back in the game.
But Spike Island came right back with singles by Landon McDonald and Fravel, followed by a sacrifice fly by pitcher Ryan Whitehead and then a two-run double by Prestash.
Prestash’s hit drove in Fravel and Carson Jones and made the score 7-2 in favor of the Pirates.
In the seventh, the Pirates built on their lead with an RBI triple by McGwire Heverly, and a two-run double by Bubba Slogosky put it at 10-2.
In the bottom of the seventh, Milesburg kept playing and put up three runs on a home run by Lalli with no outs.
Prestash, in for Whitehead in relief, was able to get the final three outs in order to take the win.
Whitehead took the win for Spike Island on the mound, and he gave up just one hit and struck out seven.
Milesburg’s Jake Teat, who initially suffered from some wildness, took the loss even though he gave up just one hit.
The Pirates will next face the Howard Hawks at home on Friday, May 24, while the Kings will next take on Howard in Milesburg on Tuesday, May 28.
Other CCBL results:
Sunday, May 12 — Lemont Ducks 9, Spring Mills Braves 2
Lemont got 11 hits and 9 runs, while pitcher Noah Aungst held the Braves to just two hits.
Sunday, May 19 — Lewistown FoxPros 6, Howard Hawks 5
FoxPros scored five runs in the last two innings to take a 6-5 win. The big hit was an RBI single by Isaiah Kerns in the bottom of the sixth inning.
