Franklin County second baseman Alex Philbrick reaches for the ball as Bessey Motors’ Brayden Bean (14) slides into the bag during Monday’s American Legion baseball game in Paris. (Tony Blasi/Sun Journal)
PARIS — Bessey Motors immediately signed off in the bottom of the fifth inning Monday night after first baseman Ashton Kennison’s RBI single sent Rod Bean home with Bessey’s 11th run in an American Legion baseball game.
The 10-run rule was implemented, allowing undefeated Bessey Motors (5-0) to race off with an 11-1 win over winless-but-stubborn Franklin County.
With one out, Bean got on with an error at third base, then moved to second when winning pitcher Janek Luksza smashed his third single of the evening. Kennison collected his third RBI after he singled in Bean with the final run.
“We did a lot of different things today and the kids executed well,” Bessey Motors coach Lance Bean said. “Janek just pounds the strike zone, throws strikes, keeps the ball off the good part of the bat.
“Everybody hit the ball well. Rodney Bean hit the ball well. Janek had three hits. Everybody hit the ball well … everybody contributed.”
Bessey Motors had 12 hits for the evening.
Luksza held Franklin County to three hits and kept the visitors off balance for the first three innings. He only walked one batter and received outstanding support from his defense, which committed one error.
The tandem of the night went to Cam Slicer and Bean. Slicer was hit by a pitch in the first inning and came home on Bean’s first of two RBI singles. Slicer led off with a single in the third inning, and Bean brought Slicer home with another hit during Bessey Motors’ four-run uprising that built a 5-0 lead.
Franklin County put its only run on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth. Second baseman Alex Philbrick got on with an error at second base and crossed the plate on Nate Goodine’s RBI single. Goodine took the loss on the mound for Franklin.
In the bottom of the fourth, Bessey took Franklin to task and collected five runs. Lusksza ripped an RBI single and Kennison drove in two runs with a double. Outfielder Hunter Labossiere, who drove in three runs for the evening, followed with his RBI single in that three-hit inning.
“They are very good. They play the game great,” Franklin County coach Kyle Gunzinger said. “They play baseball the right way. They are fantastic folks. I love coming down here.
“You know, in terms of us, and what we have to teach the kids at the end of the summer is we can clean up, play the game, minimize the errors and one of the big things that happens with our kids is we compound an error.
“We try to make them better. You go from there and try to improve. You control what you can control … and focus on what you can.”
Bessey Motors winning pitcher Janek Luksza concentrates before he goes into his wind-up during an American Legion baseball game against Franklin County in Paris on Monday evening. (Tony Blasi/Sun Journal)
Franklin County pitcher Nate Goodine fires off the ball against Bessey Motors in an American Legion baseball game in Paris on Monday. (Tony Blasi/Sun Journal)
Franklin County second baseman Alex Philbrick waits for the ball as teammate Austin Gilboe watches Bessey Motors’ Cam Slicer gets ready to slide safely into second base during an American Legion baseball game in Paris on Monday evening. (Tony Blasi/Sun Journal)
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