PREPS Benson sets down Hubbard

The Struthers' senior hadn't pitch since middle school, but got the 7-6 win.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
HUBBARD -- Minutes after beating Hubbard, the Struthers Wildcats gathered in a team huddle and someone yelled to senior Bob Benson: "Why couldn't you just throw the ball to first? You gave me a heart attack."
Benson, a senior, had just won his first game in his first start since middle school. He doesn't worry about much. He doesn't need to -- his teammates do it for him.
Clinging to a 7-5 lead in the bottom of the seventh inning, Benson allowed one run before loading the bases with nobody out. He then induced Hubbard's Matt Marshall to pop out to second, struck out James Yohman and got Dean Marshall to hit back to the mound.
Out by step
Benson decided to make the play himself and beat Marshall to the bag by a half step as Struthers hung on for a 7-6 victory.
"I was afraid of throwing the ball away," Benson said. "It was a pretty close play, but that's because I'm a truck.
"I'm kind of a no-worries guy. But I definitely didn't want to load the bases."
After the game, the Wildcats ran six wind sprints to cool down. Benson finished last in all of them.
"He's not the fastest kid in the world," Struthers coach Bill Cammack said.
Jon Neider, who started his first varsity game for Struthers, pitched a flawless first, but didn't make it out of the second inning. Matt Marshall led off with a walk, stole second and scored on James Yohman's double. Dean Marshall followed with an infield single, Troy Ruminski walked and Neider got yanked.
Benson entered the game and gave up a two-run double to Adam Jablonski, but settled down, striking out Mike Antenucci and retiring Matt Yanik on a groundout. Brandon Wood followed with an RBI single, but Benson struck out Gabe McKee to end the inning.
"He did great for a kid who never pitched before," Cammack said. "We didn't know he'd last that long. It's kind of nice because now we have another pitcher."
Struthers is averaging nine runs per game, but has lost two pitchers for the season: four-year starter Jarred Bogan, who was 3-for-3 with two runs and a walk on Thursday, and freshman Jimmy Kriebel.
Monico homers
Dan Monico, who came off the bench to drill a three-run homer to left in the sixth inning, has a strained rotator cuff, but could pitch as early as next week.
Yanik, Wood and Yohman each had two hits for Hubbard (3-2).
The Eagles beat Liberty on Wednesday when McKee hit a two-run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh. Struthers didn't give him another chance on Thursday -- he was walked on four pitches in the seventh.
"Our goal at the beginning of the year was to be in a position to win it at the end," Hubbard coach Jess Hall said. "We had the middle of our lineup up and we had a chance to win it. That's all I can ask."
scalzo@vindy.com