Submitted photo

Post 23’s Alex Hartley applies a tag during Saturday Gene Bennett Classic action.

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CODY LEIST

PDT Sports Writer

Post 23 will have a day off today, and not a moment too soon.

Decimated by injuries and players on vacation, Post 23 finished up a five-day, eight-game stretch Saturday with a pair of losses to finish out the 2012 Gene Bennett Classic with a record of 0-5 and losses in the final six games of that time period. In 30 innings of play during the tournament, Post 23 committed 20 errors, scored nine runs off 16 hits and had a collective .152 batting average as the team finished with 10 healthy players.

In the first game of the day, Post 23 scored its lone run of the game in the top of the second when Eli Duduit’s double down the left field line to score Tas Shupert. The Cleveland-based Midwest Pelicans went on to score seven unanswered runs to post an 8-1 victory.

In game two, the Springfield Armaloy broke the game wide open with eight runs in the fifth to cruise to a 15-1 win in five innings. Post 23 committed nine errors in the contest with four of them coming in the fifth.

Post 23’s only tally in the game came in the bottom of the first as Alex Hartley’s single scored Alex Shears to bring the score to 4-1, a margin that would not get any smaller the rest of the game.

Will Howard led Post 23 in hitting with a 3-for-5 day in the two contests. Shears combined to go 2-for-6 against the Pelicans and the Armaloy.

After a day off Sunday, Post 23 will get some reinforcements Monday in a nine-inning contest against Gallipolis Post 21 at Rio Grande. Post 23 assistant coach Jay Bailey, who was filling in for the ailing Jack Branon and the vacationing Andy Riehl, declined comment after the tournament.

Cody Leist can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 242, or cleist@heartlandpublications.com.

Game 1

Post 23 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 — 1 5 4

Midwest Pelicans 1 1 2 4 0 0 x — 8 9 1

Post 23 — Shears 1-3, Howard 1-3, Sanford 1-3, Shupert 1-3 (R), Lawless 0-2 (BB), Duduit 1-2 (2B, RBI).

Midwest — 1-4 (3B, 3 RBI, R), Neumann 2-3 (3B, 2B, SAC, RBI, 2 R), Laird 1-3 (SB, 2 RBI, R), Singleton 1-2 (2B, SAC, RBI), Nash 1-3, Konyesni 0-2 (BB, SB, R), Hall 0-2 (HBP), Nemer 2-3 (2B, RBI, R), Bova 1-3 (R).

W — Kutrubs (2-1)

L — Howard (0-2)

Records — Post 23 6-10; Midwest 12-4.

Game 2

Springfield Armaloy 4 0 1 2 8 — 15 10 0

Post 23 1 0 0 0 0 — 1 4 9

Armaloy — Montgomery 2-2 (2B, 2 BB, RBI, 3 R), Dixon 0-3 (BB, RBI, R), Marlett 1-2 (2 BB, 3 RBI, 2 R), Francis 0-3 (BB, RBI), Miller 1-4 (RBI, 2 R), Powell 0-3 (RBI), Lykins 2-3 (HBP, 2 RBI, R), Smith 1-1 (BB), Johnson 1-2 (BB, RBI, R), Roberts 1-3 (2 R), Casey 1-2 (RBI, 2 R), Fain 0-1 (RBI, R).

Post 23 — Shears 1-3 (R), Howard 2-2 (BB), Hartley 1-3 (RBI), Shockley 0-1 (BB), Duduit 0-1 (BB), Brown 0-1 (BB).

W — Miller (4-0)

L — Lawless (0-1)

Records — Armaloy 12-4; Post 23-6-11.