Benton's Frese flirts with no-hitter

VAN HORNE - Jonny Frese was two outs away from his first no-hitter. He'll have to settle for a trip to a Class 3A substate final instead.Benton Community routed Vinton-Shellsburg, 7-0, in Tuesday night's district final. Frese didn't allow a hit until Vinton's Luke Moen sent a hard grounder into the outfield for a single.“It didn't hurt too bad,” Frese said. “We were already up seven-nothing to go to substate. But it hurt a little bit.”The senior pitcher said he has struggled with his curveball at times. He had an ERA of 1.54 last season, a number that's up to 2.73 this year. But Coach Derek Anderson said Frese has done a good job working through those difficulties.“He's had some tough spots throughout the year, and to his credit he's continued to battle and work. He's a big game pitcher and he showed what he can do when the lights are on in the biggest moments.“Sometimes you're so worried about mechanics instead of just going out and throwing. Tonight he just went out there and threw, and he was able to have some success with the curveball.”Frese drove in four runs, including the first two. A sacrifice fly in the first inning started the scoring, a line drive into the outfield gap in the third inning scored another run, and a fourth-inning double drove home two more.That offense helped him relax on the mound.“It's huge, because I'm a pitcher that likes pitching with a lead,” he said. “When I get down, sometimes I can't find my stuff. But when I have a lead, I'm a lot more comfortable on the mound.”Benton plays Williamsburg tonight for a trip to the state tournament.“It would be huge for our kids,” Anderson said. “It'd be big for our community as well.”