3 BL pitchers combine for 5-inning perfect game
An overmatched Northridge team had no chance against Benjamin Logan’s powerhouse pitching staff Wednesday.
The number-one seeded and number-one ranked Division III team in Ohio, the Raiders used three pitchers to toss a perfect game in a 10-0 five-inning win over visiting Northridge in a Division III sectional tournament semifinal.
Ben Logan is now 26-1 and advances to play the Greenon-Covington winner at 5 p.m. Monday in the sectional final at Tecumseh High School.
The Raiders showed off their trio of shut-down pitchers against the 20th-seeded Polar Bears, with Blake Peterson striking out all six batters he faced in two innings of work, Carter Rees following with two perfect frames and Kaden Arn with a 1-2-3 fifth inning.
Of the 15 outs, 12 of them came via strikeouts. The other three were bunt groundouts.
“With the layoff between games, we want to make sure they are all getting their work in,” said Ben Logan head coach Scott Wilson of his three standout pitchers. Ben Logan’s pitching has been absolutely sensational this spring. The staff is sporting an ERA of 0.636 and Ben Logan pitchers have recorded 231 strikeouts in 165 innings.
“Pitching is the key for us,” said Wilson. “If we go out there and pitch like we are capable of and scratch out a few runs, we feel good about our chances.”
The Ben Logan offense provided plenty of support Wednesday with seven runs in the first inning.
Kainan Stoner belted a three-run home run to spark the big opening frame for the Raiders.
Ben Logan’s bats cooled off a bit after the first inning, but the Raiders were able to come up with another un in the second and two in the bottom of the fifth to finish off the Polar Bears.
“I was proud of the guys for their sportsmanship tonight,” said Wilson. “Their coach told me he was impressed with the way our guys handled themselves and that we are the most fundamentally sound team they’ve played.”
Brady Burrey went 2-3 with a triple and an RBI, Arn went 2-3, Ethan Ricketts went 2-2 with a pair of doubles and two RBI and Rees added a double to power the Ben Logan offense.
With a team of 10 seniors on a squad that currently sits atop the Division III state coaches’ rankings, the expectations of a deep tournament run are extremely high for the Raiders this postseason.
However, Wilson said there has been no looking ahead.
“We are zero and zero,” said Wilson. “That’s what we just talked about. We take it one pitch at a time.”
The Polar Bears finished their season with a record of 6-21.
BEN LGOAN 10,
NORTHRIDGE 0
(FIVE INNINGS)
Polar Bears 000 00 — 0 0 3
Raiders 710 02 — 10 10 0
WP—Peterson; LP—Holmes.