BASEBALL: Pearson pitches a one-hitter as Logan beats Kokomo at sectional

May 23—LAFAYETTE — Dylan Pearson took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and Logansport held on for a 2-1 win over Kokomo in sectional baseball action at Loeb Stadium on Wednesday night.

The Berries (14-15) advanced and will play Lafayette Jeff (6-20) at 11 a.m. Saturday in a semifinal. Kokomo finishes 13-13.

Pearson worked fast and was efficient and sailed through the first six innings before running into some trouble in the top of the seventh. He had allowed just three base runners to that point on errors in the first and fourth innings and a walk in the sixth but still had a no-hitter going as Logansport held a 2-0 lead.

He got the first out of the seventh when he got No. 3 hole hitter Jordyn Gillespie to ground out to third baseman Cooper Smith. But Pearson walked the next hitter, Dalton Dixon, which was just his second walk of the game. Harry Blake entered to pinch run for Dixon.

Isaac Flamino, Kokomo's starting pitcher who had been DH'd for to that point, entered to hit and lined a single to center for Kokomo's first hit of the game to put two runners on with one out. A wild pitch put both runners in scoring position. On a 3-2 offering Pearson struck out Brighton Harris looking for the second out.

On a 2-2 offering to the next hitter Pearson overthrew a fastball to the backstop. It ricocheted back to catcher Jake Fincher, who looked on to third and then threw to second to try to get Flamino. But Flamino slid in under the tag and Blake darted home and scored on the play to make it a 2-1 game.

But on the next pitch Pearson struck David Conner out swinging to end the game with the tying run on second.

Pearson allowed one run on one hit and two walks, striking out six. It took him 82 pitches to complete the game.

"This is what we knew he could do all year long," Logansport coach Dan Frye said. "We've had some rough stints there, but man, he came through tonight against Kokomo. He's threw two one-hitters here at Lafayette Jeff and we're going to hope to give him the ball again and see if we can't ride him like a small pony."

The Berries took advantage of three Wildkat errors in the second inning to score their two runs. Fincher led off the inning with an infield single. Cayden Walker stung a grounder that was booted for an error to put two runners on. Carson Dubes followed with a bunt that was fielded by pitcher Flamino, who tried to get a force at third but the third baseman didn't catch the throw which allowed Fincher to score and the runners to advance to second and third with no outs.

Micah Rogers grounded out to pitcher Flamino for the first out. First baseman Dixon tried to get Dubes out while running back to second second but his throw got away allowing Walker to score the game's second run.

The Berries managed six hits but they stranded seven runners. Fincher and Cooper Smith each went 2-for-3. Rogers and Walker each added a hit.

Flamino, a junior lefthander, allowed two runs (none earned) on six hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

"They had some defensive lapses there and we had some hits, but we've got to do a little bit more offensively for ourselves," Frye said. "We're better than that offensively and we've got some guys that are struggling right now. So we're going to get back in the cage and see if we can't calm some things down and see if we can get back to the basics."

The game saw the return of Isaac Russell to the Berries' lineup. He had played shortstop the last two games but hadn't hit. He went 0-for-2 with a fly out to center in the first, a walk in the second and a lineout to right in the fourth.

It was just 13 days earlier that Russell went down in a heap of pain from a hamstring injury that had been hampering him all season in what was a 2-0 win over Rochester. But the senior three-sport standout was back in the lineup Wednesday.

"It's a boost, Russell back in the lineup," Frye said. "We came in with a game plan and the game plan between me and Isaac and Syd [Latham] the trainer is we're going 50%. With our bats not doing what we expect them to do I'm hoping he hits a line drive and he hit a ball well to the right fielder and you're hoping it's in a gap or down a line and get him on base. If we get him in scoring position the whole intention is we're going to pinch run for him. We know we can do that once and reenter him back to shortstop and maybe get another swing. If we have to pinch run for him twice then obviously we won't get him back. But we have Hudson McKinney ready to go in at second base and we'll make some defensive changes. But that's really the game plan with Isaac. I really don't want to have another setback with the kid. I know he wants to be a part of it. We need the bat and we need the defense. For the limited time he's played this year his swing is in pretty good shape."

Lafayette Jeff beat Marion 10-2 in the first game of the night.

The Berries split with the Bronchos the first week of the season on a cold and windy weeknight in April in a twinbill that started at 5:30 p.m. and didn't end until 10:30 in blustery conditions. The Berries won game one 9-0 and dropped game two 11-9. It was a night that Russell first injured his hamstring and a night the Berries struggled with bunt coverages.

Harrison (16-11-1) plays No. 7 McCutcheon (20-4) in the 2 p.m. semifinal Saturday. The final is at noon Monday.