Submitted photo

Post 23’s Brett Hood delivers a pitch Friday in the Gene Bennett Classic.

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CODY LEIST

PDT Sports Writer

The ice packs may have come in handy for Post 23 Friday after playing in back-to-back games in the second day of the Gene Bennett Classic.

The reason may not have been primarily because of the high temperatures sustained during the afternoon sessions. In the contests against the Midland Redskins and Team Citius USA Red, Post 23 batters were plunked a combined five times as Alex Hartley and Sean Lawless took two pitches to their bodies.

Post 23 also displayed signs of determination in both games despite dropping both contests. The team was able to record its first hit of the tournament with two outs in the first inning of the opener and even held a lead through the first two innings of the finale.

In the Midland game, Post 23 fell behind early 3-0 before a two-out rally in the bottom of the first tied the game after a full frame. But the tie would be brief as Zack Shannon hit the first of his two home runs in the game — a two-run blast — to give the Redskins the lead for good.

Eventually Midland knocked out Post 23 starter Austin Boyer after four innings of work. His final inning included a grand slam by Dan Rosenbaum to up the Redskin lead to 9-3.

Midland blew the game open in the top of the sixth inning with a 10-run outburst. The inning was highlighted by Shannon’s second bomb of the afternoon as it was a grand slam as the Redskins went on to win 20-4 in six innings.

Both balls reached the tennis courts of Portsmouth High School from home plate at Hatcher Field. Shannon was 2-for-4 with six runs batted in while Andrew Benintendi was 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored from his leadoff spot.

Boyer, Hartley and Will Howard each recorded the only hits for Post 23 in the contest.

In the second contest at Branch Rickey Park, Post 23 jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead before Citius Red stepped to the plate. Brett Hood led off the game with a single and scored on a wild pitch to give his team an early 1-0 lead.

Hood was able to maintain his 1-0 lead on the mound until the bottom of the third. Unfortunately the Wheelersburg graduate would only last one more inning before being pulled after allowing the first five runs of the game.

Citius would double its output in the next inning to take a 10-1 lead. Post 23 was able to scratch out a pair of runs in the seventh to close out the scoring.

Post 23 will play two more games in the 2012 Bennett Classic today. Game one against the Cleveland-based T3 Pelicans will be at 9 a.m. at Branch Rickey Park with the second game against the Springfield Armaloy is a noon first pitch at Portsmouth’s Hatcher Field.

The top four teams will play in Sunday’s semifinals for a chance to claim the championship.

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

Game 1

Midland 3 2 1 4 0 (10) — 20 10 3

Post 23 3 0 0 1 0 0 — 4 3 3

Midland — Benintendi 3-5 (2B, 3 R), Strong 0-1 (BB, 2 HBP, SAC, 2 SB, 4 R), Turnet 2-5 (2 R), Rosenbaum 1-3 (HR, BB, HBP, 2 SB, 4 RBI, 4 R), Schroeder 1-2 (2B, 2 BB, SAC, 5 RBI, R), Wiggins 1-5 (2B), Dundon 0-3 (BB, RBI, R), Kidston 0-0 (4 BB, 2 R), Hickman 0-3 (BB), Shannon 2-4 (2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R), Abbott 0-0 (R).

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

W — Lakins (1-0)

L — Boyer (1-1)

Records — Midland 10-0; Post 23 6-8.

Game 2

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.