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Chargers Flip the Script Late, Storm Back to Take Down Elk Lake in Wild 10-7 Finish

Chargers Flip the Script Late, Storm Back to Take Down Elk Lake in Wild 10-7 Finish

By: Justin Bradley | SportzWire | April 16, 2026 | Photo courtesy Justin Focus

This one didn’t feel over… even when it probably should’ve been.

Carbondale Area found themselves staring down a late deficit Thursday, the kind of spot where games usually slip away. But instead of fading, the Chargers turned the final inning into something you don’t forget.. a four-run explosion that flipped a 7-6 hole into a 10-7 win over Elk Lake.

And it all unraveled fast.

Carbondale struck first in the opening inning when Nate Ulmer punched a single to get them on the board, but Elk Lake answered right back setting the tone for a night that turned into a full-on back-and-forth battle.

By the third inning, it looked like Carbondale might take control. A defensive miscue opened the door, and Mitchell Masco helped push the lead to 5-2. But Elk Lake didn’t blink.

They came storming back.

Brayden Miller sparked it with a double. Stephen Newhart followed with another. Then Colby Ruark delivered the big swing… a two-run single that suddenly had the game right back in their hands. Just like that, it was a one-run game again, and the energy had completely shifted.

From there, it was punches and counterpunches.

Masco came through again in the fifth to tie things at six, but Elk Lake grabbed the lead back in the sixth on a clutch RBI from Cohen Orlandini.

7-6. One inning left.

And that’s when everything changed.

Carbondale didn’t panic, they stacked at-bats.

Masco worked a walk to force in the tying run. Then came the swing of the night — Xander Kiel stepping in and ripping a double that brought two runs across and gave Carbondale the lead they’d been chasing all night.

An insurance run followed, and just like that, the Chargers had turned pressure into control.

Ballgame.

Kiel was everywhere. A perfect 4-for-4 night at the plate, two doubles, two RBIs, and the biggest hit of the game when it mattered most.

Parker Smith added three hits, Masco delivered in key spots all night, and Johnny Gorel handled business on the mound while also contributing at the plate. Ryan Waters slammed the door late to finish it off.

Elk Lake didn’t go quietly either 10 hits, big swings, and multiple momentum shifts. But in the end, Carbondale’s final push was just too much.

Some wins are routine.
This one? Different.

This was a team refusing to let go and finding a way when it mattered most.

Player of the Game: Xander Kiel - flawless at the plate and delivered the moment that decided it.