Benjamin Logan got all the drama — and a win.
The Raiders rallied to defeat county and league rival Indian Lake 5-4 in eight innings on Monday on their home field.
It was also Senior Night for Ben Logan. One of those seniors, Chloe Crumm, was the winning pitcher and scored the final run on a fly ball by Kylie Harner.
Ben Logan scored first, but Indian Lake put up a pair of runs in the second and two more in the fifth.
The game was then halted for about 45 minutes with Ben Logan batting in the bottom of the fifth due to lightning.
When play resumed, the Raiders wasted no time, quickly tacking on two runs. Crumm drove in the tying run in the sixth.
Ben Logan threatened to score in the seventh before breaking through in the eighth as rain and darkness fell.
Ben Logan improves to 9-4 in the CBC and 15-5 overall. Indian Lake drops to 7-6 and 13-7.
They are second and third in the Mad River division behind Shawnee.
Coach Amanda Davis of Ben Logan said that the team faced a similar situation last season against London.
“I told these girls before the game started — this is the one that I want the most for them. This is the capstone to their career.”
Davis said that she decided to stick with Crumm even after the long interruption.
“We’re constantly talking about is it a good time to switch. Honestly, with the break, I was feeling pretty good about Chloe going back out there and taking control.”
As noted, Crumm got the pitching victory, allowing seven hits, with two walks and five strikeouts.
Crumm had two doubles, with two hits each for Bryleigh Burnside and Rylan Norviel.
Norviel, Crumm, Harner, Lilly Kerns and Burnside each drove in a run.
Indian Lake coach John Stahl said, “I thought early in the game, until the rain delay, we played solid.” He noted that late in the game “easy plays that we should make, we gave them a couple extra outs. That gives the team fire and they can score a run that way.”
Taking the loss was Bre Wisener, who also pitched the entire game. She allowed nine hits and got seven strikeouts.
Abigail Elliott had a double and single, driving in one run. Other RBIs were by Wisener and Addison Stinemetz.
After Indian Lake went in order to start the game, Keeli Rostorfer drew a leadoff walk. A pickoff throw that was wide and then a wild pitch allowed her to get over to third base.
Norviel hit a ball hard to centerfield. It was caught for the out, but was deep enough to let Rostorfer tag up and score.
In the Lakers second, Annie Rapp and Wisener got things going with singles. Rapp’s was up the middle, and Wisener’s went to left.
A ball in the dirt got both runners into scoring position. Elliott singled to right, and Rapp scored to tie it.
After a strikeout, Stinemetz’s fly to center gave Wisener the opportunity to score, which she did. Brylee Buyer hit a ball into right, but Sidney Sallee fired it back to catcher Tanna Jacobs, and she tagged Elliott for out number three.
Ben Logan went in order in the second and third. Indian Lake got a couple runners on in the third, via being hit by pitches, but couldn’t cash in.
Elliott got the first extra-base hit of the game with a double in the fourth. Crumm struck out the next two batters. She walked Buyer, but avoided damage with a flyout to left.
With two down in the bottom half, Crumm belted a pitch to center field. She tried to stretch it into a triple, but the relay throw beat her to the bag.
Mackenzie Dixon started the fifth with a single to left-center, and Halle Roby followed with one to center.
Dixon moved to third, and Roby took second as the throw came back to the infield.
Rapp hit it back to Crumm. The Raiders were able to tag out Dixon between third and home, but Roby reached third and Rapp second.
A pitch that went to the backstop brought Roby in, and a sacrifice fly by Wisener scored Rapp to make it a three-run lead at 4-1. A popup then ended the at-bat.
Jacobs smacked a double to center, with Bonnie Brunson going in as the courtesy runner. Harner knocked a single into shallow left. Brunson advanced to third, and Harner took second on the throw.
Kerns was in the middle of her at-bat when the game was halted.
When play resumed, Kerns hit a sac fly to score Brunson. Burnside, the #9 hitter and a freshman, showed no nerves, hitting a single to the gap in right-center. Harner scored to make it a one-run lead.
Crumm got two strikeouts and a groundout in the top of the sixth.
With one out in the bottom half, Norviel singled to right, then took second due to a wild throw. Crumm hit the first pitch she saw to center, and Norviel sped around to knot it at 4. Wisener got out of the inning with a strikeout and groundout.
In the bottom of the seventh, Kerns and Burnside got hits with one down. A bad throw after Burnside’s bunt sent the runners speeding ahead. Kerns was thrown out trying to score. Rostorfer was intentionally walked, and Brunson then struck out.
The contest moved to the eighth as the teams tried to get in before it got too dark to continue.
Rapp grounded out to second. Wisener got a walk, but was thrown out trying to steal second. Elliott hit one straight up and Crumm made a juggling catch for the third out.
As in the sixth, Norviel got things going, this time with a a single to center.
Crumm’s grounder was used to get Norviel on the force play, but a couple of bad throws that followed let her advance to third base.
Jacobs and Sallee were both given walks to set up potential force plays.
Harner swung at the first offering from Wisener, sending it to Kit Miller in center. Miller caught it and fired it back to the plate, but Crumm arrived there first, setting off a celebration for the Raiders.
Ben Logan plays Tecumseh today, then finishes the regular season with the rematch with the Lakers.
After Wednesday’s game, Indian Lake has contests with Tecumseh Friday and Bellefontaine on Saturday.