YOUTH BASEBALL: OWEGO (BENSLEY) TURNS BACK BINGHAMTON AT U-E 12U TOURNEY (19 PHOTOS) (2019-07-23)
Tioga County Sports Report
ENDICOTT — Owego (Bensley) built a five-run cushion to support the 10-strikeout performance of Matt Higgins in a 5-2 victory over Binghamton at the U-E 12U Tournament Tuesday.
Binghamton would pick up a single in its first at-bat, but Higgins would retire the next three hitters, two by strikeout.
He would start and finish the second inning with strikeouts, and retire the side in the third, picking up two more Ks.
Binghamton would record a lead-off triple in the fourth and score on the first of three straight ground outs.
By then Owego already had its five-run advantage.
Binghamton collected two singles and two walks in the fifth to add another run, but Higgins added two more strikeouts.
He countered a single and walk in the sixth with two strikeouts and second baseman Brendan Schofield ended the game with a fielder's choice.
In addition to the 10 Ks, Higgins scattered six hits and issued three walks.
Owego never trailed, posting a 2-0 lead in its first at-bats as Higgins walked, and Schofield, Joe Palladino and Dominick Ottaviani followed with consecutive singles — the latter two hits plating runs.
Connor Kotski singled and scored on a Schofield double in the third.
In the fourth, Evan English tripled and scored on a Mason Grippen single, and Zack Bensley reached on an error and tallied on a fielder's choice off the bat of Elijah Lewis.
Owego cranked out 10 hits, with Schofield, Ottaviani and English collecting multiple hits.
Schofield went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI; Ottaviani was 2-for-3 with an RBI; and English was 2-for-3 with a run.
Lewis and Grippen were each 1-for-2 with an RBI and Kotski was 1-for-2 with a run. Palldino went 1-for-3 with an RBI and Zack Bensley added a run.
Owego plays U-E at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Logan Field.
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PHOTOS BY TIM TAYLOR
