Benton baseball rallies past Lafayette for fifth straight win over in-city rival
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Two surging teams fielded the diamond out at Hyde Park Tuesday afternoon, as the Lafayette Fighting Irish traveled across town to battle the Benton Cardinals in a Midland Empire Conference matchup. Lafayette dropped their first 11 contests of the season, but won seven of their previous eight, while Benton had captured five straight of their own.
Despite the Fighting Irish jumping out to a 3-0 lead to begin the match, pitching would be the Achilles heel as the Cardinals took advantage of four wild pitches to plate some runs, capturing the 9-5 victory, marking Benton’s fifth straight over their in-city rival.
Lafayette came out swinging, securing those three runs in the top of the first. However, the momentum quickly shifted. Benton’s defense ended the top half off a hit that trickled down the foul line. Cardinals’ pitcher Syrus Wahlert outran the hitter, flicking the ball over to first base in time, which ended the frame.
In the bottom half of the first, four balls sent Chris Coy to first base, and he eventually advanced to second on a steal. An error from the mound loaded the bases for Benton, and that’s when the wheels came off for the Fighting Irish. Back-to-back wild pitches brought in two runs, retiring the inningcutting the deficit to 3-2.
The bottom of the second inning had a near-identical start to the first for the Cardinals, as Kooper Gresham walked, stole second, then advanced on third on a high pitch. Gresham completed his journey to home plate as another errant delivery slipped past the catch, tying it up at 3-3.
Benton grabbed their first lead in the third, with Xander Tiller finally receiving a hittable ball. He knocked an RBI single through the gap between first and second base, scoring Jaxson Rich. After another single and stolen base, a wild pitch plated another run for a 5-3 advantage.
Defensive struggles continued for the Irish in the fourth. A bobbled double-play attempt loaded the bases for Benton, spelling out trouble for the Fighting Irish. Rich’s sharp grounder rolled past the outstretched hand of the shortstop, leaking into the outfield, scoring Porter McCarthy. Tiller followed with a deep shot to left-center, placing the ball on the warning tracks, bringing in three more runs to give Benton a 9-3 cushion.
Lafayette captured two more runs, but the comeback came up short. Up next for Benton, they’ll be on the road Thursday against Chillicothe, while Lafayette will make another short trip across town to face St. Joseph Christian on Thursday.
