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CODY LEIST

PDT Sports Writer

The Gene Bennett Baseball classic brings some of the best baseball talent into Scioto County.

Portsmouth Post 23 found out the hard way how talented the Ohio Warhawks are every year. Victor Cole and Chris Reys combined to no-hit Post 23 in a 10-0 game that concluded Thursday’s first day of the Bennett Classic.

“It’s a learning experience,” Post 23 interim coach Andy Riehl said. “We come in to these things knowing the competition is what it is and we’re not going to see this competition the rest of the year or before.

“We’re hoping that we can learn something everyday, survive it and come out a better team at the end of it.”

Post 23 sent Patrick Riehl to cool down the red hot Warhawk bats. Instead, they countered with six of their 10 runs in the first off five of their 10 hits.

Patrick Riehl threw 52 of his 121 pitches in the opening frame. He was lifted after the fourth in favor of Brett Hood.

“I thought Patrick, even though the score was not what we wanted to see it, got ahead of everybody,” Andy Riehl said. “He was 0-2, 1-2, 2-2 a lot and just got too much of the plate on the out pitch.”

The lone threat for Post 23 came in the third when Eli Duduit started the inning by reaching to first after his swinging third strike eluded catcher Brett Steadman. After a Tyler Sanford strikeout and a Tas Shupert sacrifice bunt, Hood and Austin Boyer drew full count walks to load the bases.

Three pitches later, Alex Hartley flied out to end the threat and any chances Post 23 would have of scoring. It was the only time Cole or Reys would face more than the minimum in an inning.

Post 23 will get back at it today with a pair of contests. The first will be a noon first pitch at Hatcher Field against the Cincinnati-based Midland Redskins.

Game 2 is slated for 3 p.m. at Branch Rickey against Team Citius USA Red from Dallas, Texas. Hood and Boyer will be expected to pitch before the two leave for vacation.

Post 23, already without Wheelersburg’s Derek Moore and Wade Martin along with Notre Dame graduate Tyler Noel, will be calling up more arms from the junior team to finish out the weekend.

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

Post 23 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 0 2

Ohio Warhawks 6 2 1 0 1 — 10 10 0

Post 23 — Hood 0-1 (BB), Boyer 0-1 (BB), Riehl 0-1 (BB), Duduit 0-1 (BB), Shupert 0-1 (SAC).

Ohio Warhawks — Stoll 2-3 (BB, SB, 2 RBI, R), De La Rosa 0-4 (RBI, R), Taylor 1-2 (BB, SB, 2 R), Helton 2-3 (2B, SB, 2 RBI, 2 R), Emge 1-3 (2 RBI, R), Dawson 2-3, Breunig 1-2 (2 RBI, R), Steadman 1-2 (BB, SB, 2 R), Smith 0-2 (BB, SB), Vans 0-1 (R).

W — Cole (1-0)

L —Riehl (0-2)

Records — Post 23 6-7; Ohio Warhawks 1-1.