CODY LEIST

PDT Sports Writer

Dallas-based Team Citius USA Red scored all of its runs in the third and fourth innings Friday at Branch Rickey Park to defeat Portsmouth Post 23 10-3 and end the second day of competition in the 2012 Gene Bennett Classic for both teams.

Post 23 took its first lead of the tournament in the top of the first. After back-to-back singles to start the game, Brett Hood scored on a wild pitch.

Citius Red made its first scoring strike in the third with a five-run inning that bounced Hood from the mound. The hosts on the scoreboard would double its output in the next frame for all of the team’s scoring.

Post 23 added two in the top of the seventh to close out the scoring. An Alex Hartley single scored Sean Lawless and an Eli Duduit RBI groundout plated Daulton Kenyon.

Post 23 will play perhaps its last two games of the Bennett Classic Saturday with a 9 a.m. first pitch at Branch Rickey Park against the Cleveland-based T3 Pelicans before turning around to play a noon game at Portsmouth’s Hatcher Field against the Springfield Armaloy.

The top four teams in the seven-team tournament will move on to Sunday’s semifinals and championship.

Post 23 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 — 3 4 1

Team Citius Red 0 0 5 5 0 0 x — 10 12 1

Post 23 — Hood 1-2 ( R), Boyer 1-3 (BB), Hartley 1-4 (HBP, RBI), Riehl 1-2, Howard 0-2 (BB), Lawless 0-1 (2 HBP, R), Kenyon 0-2 (BB, R), Brown 0-1 (BB), Duduit 0-1 (BB, RBI).

Citius Red — Jo. Jackson 1-3 (BB, 2 SB, R), Lowery 2-3 (3B, BB, 2 SB, RBI, 2 R), Bissel 3-4 (2B, SB, 3 RBI, 2 R), Je. Jackson 1-2 (2B, BB, HBP, RBI), De La Cruz 1-3 (BB, RBI, 2 R), Morgan 2-3 (2B, BB, RBI), Lynch 0-1 (3 BB, RBI), Todsen 1-2 (HBP, SAC, 2 RBI), Glasscock 1-4, Varden 0-2 (HBP, R).

W — Je. Jackson (1-0)

L — Hood (0-1)

Records — Post 23 6-9; Citius Red 1-2.