Beverly/Lowell’s Jack McCurdy slides in safely under the tag of Sidney third baseman Owen Zimmerman Friday night at the Ohio American Legion State tournament at Beaver Field in Lancaster. Beverly/Lowell won 10-4 in the opener. (Photo by Mike Morrison)

LANCASTER – Beverly/Lowell Post 389/750 shrugged off a bit of a rocky start and then rallied for a 10-4 win over Sidney Post 217 Friday night in their opener in the Ohio State Amercian Legion State Tournament at Beaver Field in Lancaster.

Third baseman Kainan Bradford slammed a three-run home run to put BevLow in front in the fifth inning and shortstop Carter Wheeldin and center fielder Jack McCurdy collected three-hits apiece to lead the Boys of Summer in their tournament opener that moves them into the all-important winner’s bracket.

Beverly/Lowell starting pitcher J.R. Curry was solid through five plus innings to notch the win with relief from fellow Caldwell Redskin Jacob Laswell.

Sidney touched up Curry for single runs in the first two innings while Sidney southpaw starting pitcher Chase Monnin held Post 389/750 scoreless through the first four innings.

That would all change in the pivotal top of the fifth inning when Beverly/Lowell scored four runs to take the lead.

McCurdy opened the inning by beating out an infield single and advanced to second on a Sidney throwing error.

One out later Wheeldin singled with McCurdy stopping at third base.

With Easton Walker at the plate Wheeldin took off for second and when Sidney catcher Caleb Davis fired the ball towards second McCurdy sprinted towards home.

Sidney guessed right as the second baseman intercepted the throw from the catcher well short of second base but his return throw home was not in time to get the speedy McCurdy who slid home safely to cut the lead to 2-1.

Walker followed with a flair to shallow left field which brought the lefty swinging Bradford to the dish to face the lefty Monnin.

This time Bradford won the battle when he launched a bullet over the right field fence for a three-run homer and a 4-2 BevLow lead.

Beverly/Lowell struck again in the top of the sixth inning when they sent 10 men to the plate and scored five more runs to break things wide open.

Wheeldin, McCurdy and Bradford each picked up RBI’s in the sixth as the Beverly/Lowell lead swelled to 9-2.

Curry was cruising along through the middle innings but would run into some trouble in the bottom of the sixth.

Sidney loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame and Beverly/Lowell coach Todd Engle elected to replace Curry on the mound with Dominic Frye.

Frye could not find the strike zone either as he walked in a run before Engle replace him on the bump with young Jacob Laswell.

Laswell allowed a single run in the bottom of the seventh but that would be as close as Sidney would come as they slipped into the losers bracket.

Curry picked up the win as he allowed five hits and a pair of unearned runs in his five plus innings of work.

Beverly/Lowell improved to 25-1.