Benton, Vinton-Shellsburg advance

VAN HORNE - It took longer to get the offense going Friday night than Benton Community Coach Derek Anderson would have liked.But a win is a win in the postseason.The Bobcats (27-13) struggled at the plate against Union (13-18) starter Nic Peters but broke through for two runs in the fifth and sixth innings to advance to a Class 3A district final with a 4-1 victory.“In a one-and-done situation, you hope you play your best all the way through,” Anderson said. “You try to get as many as you can and we were able to do that late in the game.”Cody Mattison hit a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fifth, and Parker Kraus followed with an RBI double to put Benton ahead for good.Benton swept Union by a combined 21-1 in a doubleheader about a week ago, but Anderson elected to start Mitch Moser, his No. 1 pitcher.“We believe in not holding guys back and you can see why,” Anderson said. “He kept us in the game and gave us a shot to win.”Moser allowed five hits, one run and one walk while striking out nine in six innings.Benton will meet Vinton-Shellsburg (17-24) in the district final here Monday night.Vinton-Shellsburg starter Daniel Ervin did not allow a run in the first six innings of a 3-1 victory over Grinnell last night.The senior said hefeltno pressure despite knowing a loss would end the Vikings' season.“I've been through this,” Ervin said. “I've been pitching for four years. This feels great.”Vinton-Shellsburg scored two runs on sacrifice flies in the first two innings.