Benjamin Holds Off Jensen Beach For Quality Victory

Drew Buchanan and Gus Doskey combined for seven strikeouts and three earned runs to help lead Benjamin to victory. Photo by Erika Sousa.

It has been a bumpy ride so far this season for the Benjamin Buccaneers. But on Thursday afternoon came another sign of the Bucs improvement and growth. Thanks to an overall solid team effort, Benjamin built an early lead and then held off a tough rally to earn a 5-4 victory over the Jensen Beach Falcons.

The Bucs improve to 8-6, having won their past two games.

“This was a good win for us today,” Benjamin Manager Chad Mills said. “We played mistake-free defensively and got some timely hits. Drew Buchanan and Gus Doskey pitched to contact and threw a lot of strikes.”

Buchanan picked up the win, allowing one earned run in four innings of work. The senior right-hander had four strikeouts, while giving up four hits and a walk. Doskey closed out the final three frames, holding off the Falcons’ late rally bid by striking out the final batter. Doskey struck out three, while allowing a hit and walking three.

Derek Rubin came up with the big hit, giving the Bucs the lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the third inning. With the game tied up at 2-2, Johnny Havlicek led off with a double on a liner to center, and Rubin singled to left to send Havlicek home.

Photo by Erika Sousa.

Benjamin added two key runs in the bottom of the fifth that were the difference. David Venoff led off with a base hit to left, before being replaced by courtesy-runner Nate Swank. Havlicek delivered again with a blooper to shallow center that allowed Swank to score, and Buchanan followed with an RBI single to right for the winning run.

Havlicek was 2-for-3, while Venoff went 2-for-2 to lead the Bucs offense.

“We are young this season, with just one senior. So we’re looking to play better baseball the second half of the year with more game experience,” Mills said. “For the team to be successful it certainly starts with pitching and defense, which we are capable of playing at a high level. Offensively, we look to continue to improve and play our best baseball on the backside of the season.”

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