Lyon County Post 68 was a winner in its first game at the American Legion Baseball Great Lakes Regional Tournament Wednesday morning.
Cameron Dean was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs batted in while Cameron Head turned in four solid innings on the mound as Post 68 knocked off Hempfield East (Pa.) Post 981 by a 5-2 count.
Lyon County, now 16-5-1, advances to a 2 p.m. game on Thursday against Beverly/Lowell (Ohio) Post 389/750. Beverly/Lowell defeated Gladwin County (Mich.) Post 171 in Game 2 Wednesday 13-5.
Hempfield East (26-7) scored once in the top of the first inning in Game 1 against Lyon County. However, the Post 68 Aces answered with three runs in the bottom of the opening frame.
Dean doubled home Lyon’s first run. Dean came in to score on a wild pitch. Gabe Board doubled and later scored on a passed ball to give Post 68 a 3-1 advantage.
Lyon County added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Dean singled home another run in that inning, then later scored on a passed ball to put Post 68 up 5-1.
Hempfield East, the Pennsylvania runner-up, got one run in the top of the seventh but could not get the potential tying run to the plate in the last inning.
Head went the first four innings on the mound, allowing one earned run on five base hits. He struck out two and walked one before getting relief help from Brady Betts and Cade Duncan.
Board was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double while Davis Corbett was 2-for-2.
The Great Lakes Regional Tournament is being played at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill.
The tourney runs through Sunday, with the Great Lakes champion advancing to the American Legion World Series next week in Shelby, N.C.
