Benton baseball tops Bishop LeBlond, builds momentum heading into WOW Bat Tournament
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Ahead of this weekend’s Walkoff Wood Bat High School Baseball Tournament, both the Benton Cardinals and Phil Welch Stadium got in some early action as Benton took on city rival Bishop LeBlond.
What started as a tight game through three innings quickly turned into a rout, as the Cardinals exploded with big innings in the fourth and sixth to roll to a 16-4 win, getting back in the win column and restoring momentum at just the right time.
“Yeah, you know, every game we take, we take it one at a time. Getting a win, getting back in that win column is huge,” Benton infielder Chris Coy said. “Getting that momentum back for a huge game tomorrow, huge tournament tomorrow.”
Benton got off on the right foot in the top of the first. Porter McCarthy led off with a line-drive single up the middle. He then advanced to third after a steal and a sacrifice bunt by Zaidyn Woodward. However, with two outs, Cy Polley’s infield grounder was scooped and fired to first just in time, ending the frame scoreless.
LeBlond threatened in the bottom half. Following a walk, Jackson CDeBaca plopped a single into center to put runners on first and second. A sacrifice fly moved a runner to third, but Benton starting pitcher Zane Slagle worked out of the jam with a key strikeout to keep the game knotted at zero.
In the second, Benton’s Jaxson Rich reached third base after drawing a walk, stealing second, and advancing on a wild pitch. The Cardinals loaded the bases after a series of walks, but LeBlond held firm with two clutch outs in the field, including a tough grab in foul territory by Landyn Woolery. Still, Benton finally broke through when Coy’s ground ball skipped over the third baseman’s head, plating two runs for a 2-0 lead.
“Yeah, just do what you're supposed to. Swinging at strikes, taking balls, you know, that's kind of our approach going into it,” Coy said.
The Golden Eagles responded in the bottom half. After a single and a double by Christian Anderson into the right-center gap, CDeBaca came through again, this time drilling a shot off the left-field wall. The relay home was late, and an errant throw to third allowed another run to score, completing an inside-the-park homer, grabbing the lead at 3-2.
In the fourth, Syrus Wahlert flared a two-run single into shallow left that stayed just fair, pushing Benton back in front 4-3. Later in the frame, Woodward delivered a nearly identical hit to bring in two more runs. Two walks and a sacrifice fly by Titan Helfrey capped off a seven-run inning that gave Benton a commanding 9-3 advantage.
“Yeah, building that team chemistry, you know, we lost a lot last year, so getting everybody acclimated to the varsity field and stuff, it's pretty big,” Coy said. “You know, I feel like everybody's kind of coming around and everybody's starting to mold.”
That chemistry was evident throughout the night. Polley and Coy connected for multiple outs on attempted steals by LeBlond, helping halt any momentum the Eagles tried to generate. The Cardinals put a dagger into the contest as the bats stayed hot in the sixth, tacking on six more runs to slam the door shut.
“It definitely just gives us more momentum leading into a big game,” Polley said. “Everybody's happy, everybody's good. We played great.”
