BENTON – Freshman Jacob Berendes scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning when he stole home on a passed ball on a dropped third strike as Benton/Shullsburg rallied past Cassville, 6-5, in a Six Rivers West clash at Benton’s Swift Park on Monday, April 18.
    Chris Trejo doubled in Nathan Wedige earlier in the seventh to tie the game at 5-5, and then Berendes came in for the go-ahead run to give the Zephyr-Miners (1-3 overall, 1-2 SRC) their first victory of the season.
    The Comets jumped out to a 4-0 lead before the hosts broke through for single runs in the third and fifth innings to cut the deficit in half. Wedige scored on an error in the third, and pinch runner Wyatt Bastian scored on a passed ball in the fifth for Ben/Shulls.
    A solo home run by Todd Haverland in the top of the sixth put Cassville up 5-2, but a two-run single by outfielder Nick Wagner in the bottom of the sixth trimmed the gap to 5-4 and the hosts won it in exciting fashion in the seventh.
    Freshman Nathan Mowry earned the win in relief after tossing two scoreless innings. He allowed no hits and walked three, while striking out two.
    Wedige went 2-for-4 with two runs scored to lead the hosts. Hunter Matye also went 2-for-4, while Wagner drove in two runs for Ben/Shulls.
    At Blanchardville, on Friday, April 15, the host Pecatonica Vikings swept a doubleheader from the Zephyr-Miners, winning the opening game by a score of 14-5 and taking the nightcap by a score of 18-15 in come-from-behind fashion.
    In a change this season, the first game of the Six Rivers crossover doubleheaders between the West and East will count towards the conference standings, while the second game will be counted as a non-conference game.
    Pec scored in every inning in game one to put down Ben/Shulls, including a seven-run outburst in the bottom of the second inning, which erased a 2-1 Zephyr-Miner lead.
    Jake Dearth went 3-for-3 with three doubles, three runs batted in a run scored for the Vikings.
    Noah Wand went 2-for-3 with a run scored, and Hunter Matye scored twice for Ben/Shulls.
    In game two, the teams traded the lead five times over the course of the game with the Vikings plating six runs in the top of the seventh inning to grab an 18-13 advantage and they held on for an 18-15 win.
    After spotting the hosts a 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the Zephyr-Miners rallied to take a 9-6 lead by scoring six times in the third.
    Each team scored four times in the fourth to trade the lead once again, but the Vikings would strike for two in the sixth and six in the seventh to take back the lead for good.
    Matye smashed a pair of home runs, drove in five runs and scored four times while going 3-for-4 at the plate in the nightcap.
    Jacob Berendes went 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored, while Chris Trejo went 2-for-5 with three runs scored for the guests. Nathan Mowry drove in three runs and N. Wand knocked in two in the contest.
    Cory Linder tripled and drove in four runs for Pec. Presley Hauser (2-for-4) and Kyle Kleppe (3-for-4) combined for five hits, eight runs scored and five RBI for the Vikings.
    Benton/Shullsburg will host Argyle in a doubleheader on Friday, April 22, starting at 4:30 p.m., and they have SRW games at Highland on Monday, April 25, and at River Ridge on Tuesday, April 26, both starting at 5 p.m.

Cassville……. 202  001  0 – 5  7  4
Bent/Shulls… 001  012  2 – 6  8  3
Leading Hitters: Nathan Wedige 2x4, Hunter Matye 2x4. 2B– Chris Trejo.
WP- Nathan Mowry. LP- Jensen.
   
GAME ONE
Bent/Shulls… 021  002  0 –   5    6  2
Pecatonica…. 171  122  x – 14  12  3
Leading Hitters: Noah Wand 2x3. 2B– Nick Wagner.
WP- Chandler. LP- Hunter Matye.

GAME TWO
Pecatonica…. 501  402  8 – 18  14  10
Bent/Shulls… 306  400  2 – 13  10    3
Leading Hitters: Jacob Berendes 2x4, Chris Trejo 2x5, Hunter Matye 3x4. HR– Matye (2). 2B– Jacob Berendes.
WP- Ruegsegger. LP- Nathan Mowry.