The Simon Kenton Pioneers won the David Iery Invitational at Beechwood High School, defeating Southern High School in their first game and Beechwood in the championship game.
This is the third year that the David Iery Foundation has hosted a tournament at Beechwood. They have organized numerous tournaments throughout Kentucky since 2012.
Iery, a 1989 graduate of Lewis County High School, suffered a spinal cord injury while sliding into home plate during his senior year, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. He started the foundation to educate young people on the various causes of spinal cord injury and how to avoid them.
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"There's no cure for spinal cord injuries so the only thing you can do is prevent them, and hopefully, if I talk to enough kids, it'll save somebody someday," Iery said.
Iery spoke to Beechwood and Mason County before their game, and Simon Kenton and Southern before their contest. The two Northern Kentucky teams heeded his advice, applying his life lessons of perseverance and resilience to their on-field performance.
Beechwood took the field first against Mason County and built a 3-1 lead after five innings. The Royals then scored four unanswered run to take a 5-3 lead in the top of the seventh inning. But the Tigers, who have fought adversity all year, were able to pull off another comeback. Ben Meier ended the game with a walk-off single to left field to give the Tigers a 6-5 win.
"That just shows what this tournament is all about," Beechwood head coach Kevin Ryan said.
Simon Kenton cruised through their first game against Southern. The Pioneers scored seven runs in the first inning and led 10-0 after three innings. They eventually won 13-2 in five innings.
When the Pioneers and Tigers met in the championship game, fans in attendance may have assumed the game was over after the first inning. Gavin Riley hit a three-run home run to help the Pioneers to a six-run lead.
Beechwood fought back, getting within one run on a Cameron Boyd three-run home run before a Tyler Fryman sacrifice fly tied the game at 9-9 in the fifth inning. Simon Kenton would answer once again in the top of the seventh when Ian Powell scored the game-winning run on a groundout to give Simon Kenton a 10-9 lead.
"They're going to keep hitting, keep trying to put the pressure on us. We just had to keep our desire and our fire," Simon Kenton head coach Troy Roberts said.
The David Iery Foundation has multiple fundraisers every year. The most notable outing is a Cincinnati Reds game. This year, Iery will be the honorary captain when the Reds face the New York Yankees on May 20. More information on the foundation can be found on its Facebook page, or at dif35.com.
While the Pioneers won two games on the field, Iery wants to make sure every player learns the same life lessons he did as a young athlete.
"We're not invincible. So when you do make mistakes, make the best of it, own up to it, and just try to make the world a better place," Iery said.
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