Fair Baseball: Hit batters help Ida take charge with win over Bedford
“Way to wear it for the team!”
That’s a fairly common encouragement for a batter in a baseball game who gets hit by a pitch.
That refrain was heard three times from the Ida dugout in the opening inning of a game against Bedford Elite Tuesday in the 63 annual Monroe County Fair Baseball Tournament.
It didn’t make it hurt any less for the three plunked hitters, but some of the string was taken away when all three came around to score.
That led to a 7-run first inning and an 11-1 Ida victory.
The win put Ida firmly in charge of the tournament as the only remaining unbeaten team in the double-elimination event.
“They all came ready today,” said Ida coach Eric Mason. “Even the guys who got hit helped us.”
Bedford Elite drops in the losers’ bracket to play Ash Carleton Gold, a 7-5 winner over Summerfield in an exciting first game Tuesday. The winner of that game at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday advances to the finals at 6:15.
The second game of the finals, if necessary, will be played at 6:15 p.m. Thursday.
Ida 11, Bedford Elite 1
The Ida hitters made the hit-batters hurt for Bedford Elite.
Parker Mason brought the first two home with a single. Brayden Healy doubled and Sam Brandjord delivered a clutch, two-out single in the big inning.
Day 1: Tournament stays on schedule despite rain
Day 2: Elite wins Battle of Bedford, advances to take on Ida
Day 3: Ash Carleton Gold and Summerfield set up rematch
Healy did more damage two innings later when he clubbed a three-run homer. It was his second-over-the-fence homer of the tournament.
“He smashed that one,” coach Mason said.
Another key for Ida was a stand in the top of the first inning when Brennen Pfeiffer drew a walk and Tyler Sheehan singled to start the game and moved up to second and third.
Starting pitcher Parker Mason settled down and got the next three hitters to get out of the inning without yielding a run.
“That was big,” coach Mason said.
Bedford Elite finally scored in the third when Sheehan singled and Pierce Buschmann doubled.
Ash Carleton Gold 7, Summerfield 5
Levi Cousino broke a 5-5 tie with a two-run double in the top of the sixth inning, then Gold worked out of a bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the inning.
A single by Kaiden Raymo and two walks loaded the bases for Summerfield, but Ash Carleton pitcher Rylan McDonald wiggled out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts.
Cousino and Mason LeFebvre had two hits each for Gold and Sam Geiger ripped an RBI double in the first inning.
Geiger and Julian Daniels also pitched well.
Kason Lehr and Jacob Horak had two hits apiece for Summerfield.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Fair Baseball: Hit batters help Ida take charge with win over Bedford
