Benton Cardinals lean on tough schedule to build momentum for final stretch

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Benton Cardinals were atop the Missouri High School Baseball scene last year, having played in the Class 4 championship game, finishing in second with a 7-2 loss to Blair Oaks. This season, the team looks slightly different, but the dream of reaching that destination again wasn’t a far-fetched idea.

With a younger, less-experienced roster than last spring’s title contender, head coach Johnny Coy crafted a daunting schedule to accelerate his team's growth. The scheduling led to back-to-back tournament appearances in the Walkoff Wood Bat Tournament and this week’s Pony Express Tournament, leading to six games being played in seven days. 

“You know, we've had a lot of one, two-run games against some really good 6A schools that also have really good schedules, and they're playing the best in the area, and that's all we want to do is just play the best teams possible,” Coy said. “The win-loss record doesn't mean all that much at the end of the season, come district time.”

During the WOW Tournament, the Cardinals had trouble finding consistency, as they dropped the first game to Moberly 12-2, tying for their worst loss of the season. The team dug in defensively in the next two match-ups, holding their opponents to a total of 8 runs, but the bats stayed relatively quiet, contributing to a three-game skid.

However, those losses were more about development than disappointment, as the team had the opportunity to bounce back in the Pony Express Tournament, doing just that as they reached the championship round against Park Hill.

“With the inexperience like these guys have, you know, that's going to happen. I told them we're just going to worry about being consistent every game, every pitch, every bat, you know, everything about the game,” Coy said. “We've got to work through the growing pains, and hopefully by the end of the year, we're playing at our best.”

The Cardinals opened the Pony Express Tournament with a 9-3 win over Lincoln College Prep, then mounted a comeback against Smithville, capturing a 16-11 victory. That pathway led the Cardinals to the Trojans, with both teams hoping to call themselves a champion.

The championship bout was tightly contested, as the Trojans plated three runs across the first three innings. A late rally in the sixth that got Benton within two, but the comeback stalled with runners on second and third in the seventh inning, as a soft grounder to short ended the game in a 3-1 loss.

“Yeah, I mean, for the most part, they competed, they played hard,” Coy said. “We were just one or two plays away from pulling it off today, and a couple of balls bounce our way, you know, the outcome might be a little different, but yeah, I'm pleased with the guys getting second place in a really good tournament.”

With nine regular-season games remaining, plus a run through the Chillicothe Tournament, the Cardinals are offered no breathers. The remaining slate includes four teams with winning records and two with a .500 record. 

“We just want to play, we just want to play as many good teams as possible. Every single year, I look out and into the schedule, who's going to be one of the top teams, and I reach out to them and try to play that team, you know, as many times as possible,” Coy said. “We're all about just playing the best competition possible and seeing how we shake up.”