Dan Bender Archives - Your Sports Network

UNITY, OH- You may have thought that you’ve heard the last of Justin Sweeney following basketball season.

Think again.

Sweeney threw a shutout to lead Lisbon past East Palestine 1-0 on Wednesday. The pitching was strong on both sides. Sweeney struck out four, while East Palestine’s Dalton Vance sat down seven.

Lisbon things moving in the first inning. Logan Bell drove in one when he singled. That was all that was needed for the Devils on the day. For EP, a single by Dan Bender in the sixth inning was a positive for East Palestine and the only hit on the evening for the Bulldogs.

PHOTO CREDIT: GARY LEININGER

Sweeney was the winning pitcher for the Blue Devils. He went the distance, allowing one hit and zero runs while striking out four. Vance took the tough-luck loss for East Palestine. He lasted seven innings, allowing five hits and one run while striking out seven and walking zero.

Offensively, Sweeney went 2-for-3 at the plate to lead Lisbon in hits. Defensively, the Devils were sure-handed and didn’t commit a single error. Nick Mundy made the most plays with eight.

Imagine the difficulty of not playing a sport for three years of your high school career, and deciding to go out for the most popular sport in school your senior year! The emotions that must go into a decision like that could be excruciating for the normal teenager. However, the cool, calm, and collect Senior at East Palestine took everything in stride, then took a starting spot at wide receiver this year.

Dan Bender isn’t the rule. In fact, he’s the exception when it comes to his athletic prowess. Bender’s skill on the field is only trumped by his manners and kindness off of it. A young man with strong values, and a strong work ethic has built his opportunity for a grand finale at EPHS. Some of the pressure he faces would be enough to break most student-athletes, but for Bender, it’s just another day at the office.

Our Dan Figley catches up with the EP Standout Receiver, and DB in this week’s East Palestine Player Profile: BENDER FAR FROM BROKEN.

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