The Micah Gregg Memorial Tournament was hosted by Benjamin Logan over the weekend. Starting in 2009, the tournament has been played in a three-team round robin format to raise money for the yearly scholarship handed out in honor of Micah Gregg.
Benjamin Logan baseball squared off against Versailles and Allen East on Saturday, April 11, with all three teams finishing the day 1-1, highlighting the competitive nature of the tournament.
Benjamin Logan (4-3) would drop game one of the tournament, 6-9, against a strong Versailles team (7-3).
Game one was highlighted by tough pitching and strong back-and-forth between the two teams.
A first inning that featured a punch-counter punch combo of Versailles and Ben Logan trading scores in the opening frame. This led to a two-run second inning for the Raiders, enjoying a two-run lead for all of five minutes until the Tigers went back on the offensive.
Slowly chipping away at the lead over the next two frames, the inaugural game was tied 3-3 after five innings of play.
The sixth inning was the story of the game; the top half saw six Tigers cross home to bust the game wide open. The Raiders showed a late fight to close the gap to 4 heading into the final frame, 9 to 5 in favor of the Tigers.
Holding the Tigers scoreless in the seventh, the Raiders had just three more outs left and needed to score 4 to tie it up. They ultimately fell short, losing the game 6 to 9.
Senior Cayden Brown highlighted the Raider offensive effort, collecting three hits and a trio of RBIs in game one.
Adam Tinsman led things off on the mound for Benjamin Logan Varsity Raiders. The pitcher gave up four hits and three runs (two earned) over four innings, striking out seven and walking two.
In the second and final game of the day for the Raiders, they faced Allen East (7-1). The Mustangs walked into the game with a perfect record and left with their first blemish on the season, winning 8-6 on Saturday.
Benjamin Logan jumped out to the lead in the top of the first inning after a pair of Raiders, Cohen Archer and Carter Fay, were struck by errant pitches, driving in two runs, and a passed ball scored two more runs.
Allen East fought back and tied the game in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a walk drawn by Jackson Thompson, a ground out by Travis Stanley, and a double by Caleb Lybarger.
Benjamin Logan jumped back into the lead at the top of the fourth inning after Cayden Brown doubled down the left field line, Jacob Hawley singled down the left field line, and Cohen Archer flew out, each scoring one run.
Going ahead 7-5 put the Raiders ahead for good. Making use of the six errors attributed to the Mustangs on the day, and coming out on top for the day.
The Raiders used a good eye at the plate and not making any defensive errors of their own to fuel the upset of the previously undefeated Mustangs of Allen East. They drew six walks and committed no errors as a squad.
The Benjamin Logan Varsity Raiders are back in action Monday night, April 13, at home against Graham (1-7) at 5:15.
