Bill Lusk | WVOW Sports
MYRTLE BEACH, SC Tanner Akers, Rob Ball and McCormick Ilderton collected two hits each and each drove in one run as Logan overcame a pair of three run deficits to end a four-game losing and defeat Wayne (NY) 10-6 Thursday afternoon in the South Atlantic Bank Invitational at North Myrtle Beach High School.
The Wildcats will be back in action Friday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. at Loris High School against Brockport (NY), who lost to the Wildcats county rival Man, 5-4, on Thursday.
Akers was 2-for-2 with one RBI and three runs, Ilderton went 2-for-3 with one RBI and Ball was 2-for-4 including a double and one RBI to lead the Logan offense.
Wayne led Logan 3-0 after a half inning and led 4-1 heading to the bottom of the second inning before the Wildcats closed to within one, 4-3, after scoring two runs in the second and tied it at 4 with a run in the fourth inning.
Logan took the lead for good with three runs in the fifth and tacked on three insurance runs in the sixth.
Wayne got on the board in the top of the first when Michael Grasso singled to put the Eagles up 1-0. A bases loaded walk to Kahlen Clark made it 2-0 and a Grasso steal of home put the Eagles ahead 3-0.
Cole Blankenship doubled with one out in the bottom of the first inning and came around to score on Rob Ball’s double to cut the Logan deficit to 3-1.
The Eagles added to their lead in the top of the second when Michael Prentice scored on a two-out error for a 4-1 lead.
The Wildcats cut the deficit to 4-3 when Akers and Hayden Fraley scored on an error in the bottom of the second.
In the bottom of the fourth, Ivan Miller drew a bases loaded walk allowing Akers to score to tie the game at 4-4.
A pair of walks to Chase Hatfield and Akers with one out in the bottom of the fifth put runners at first and second for Logan. Reliever Ben Smith got Gage Hensley to strikeout, but Ilderton singled with two outs to score Hatfield and give the Wildcats their first lead, 5-4.
Later in the inning, Akers stole home to put Logan ahead 6-4 and Crew Blankenship singled to bring home Ilderton making it 7-4.
Logan added to its lead with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Akers singled to score Miller, who walked to start the inning, to make it 8-4 and Hatfield and Fraley scored on an error making it 10-4.
Wayne wouldn’t go down without a fight in the top of the seventh as the Eagles plated two runs but could get no closer. David Barnhart had a two-run two-out single to cut Logan’s lead to 10-6.
Cole Blankenship got Aiden Twist to pop up to end the game and the Wildcats four game losing streak.
Luke Blankenship started on the mound for Logan and went two innings allowing four unearned runs on three hits with four walks and three strikeouts. Hatfield got the win in relief after allowing one run on two hits in four innings. Hatfield struck out six and walked one while Blankenship allowed one run on three hits and struck out one in his inning of relief.
Smith suffered the loss for Wayne. He allowed three runs on two hits, walked four and struck out three in 1 2/3 innings.
Crew Blankenship had one hit and one RBI, Cole Blankenship had a double, Miller one RBI and Fraley and Hatfield each scored two runs for Wildcats.