Benton clears first step, 5-2

FORT DODGE - As a No. 2 hitter, Shelby Hulsebus sees herself as a sort of bridge in the Benton Community batting lineup.

'If (leadoff hitter) Lea (Brunssen) gets on, it's my job to get her over,” Hulsebus said. 'And I want to get on base so (Alyssa Wiebel) can get me home.”

Hulsebus did a little of both Tuesday, reaching base four times and scoring thrice as second-rated Benton downed No. 13 Mount Vernon, 5-2, in a Class 3A quarterfinal at the state softball tournament Tuesday night at the Rogers Sports Complex.

It was Benton's first appearance here since 1998, when its Cinderella team captured the 2A championship. The aim this time is another title.

The Bobcats (41-3) meet No. 4 Greene County (31-6) in a semifinal at 1 p.m. Thursday.

'We were a little shaky in the field at times, and we're going to have to clean things up a little,” said Benton Coach Eric Stenberg. 'Hopefully we put a little better game together Thursday.”

Both teams were guilty of four errors. The Bobcats survived theirs; the Mustangs (29-10) did not.

'We didn't put ourselves in position to be successful,” said Mount Vernon Coach Robin Brand. 'We made some uncharacteristic errors, and our defense didn't keep us in it like it usually does.”

Benton scored twice each in the first and third innings, and once in the fifth. Hulsebus was in the middle of all three rallies, with an infield single, reaching on an error and drawing a walk. She scored all three times, then reached base again in the sixth on another infield hit.

Brand opted to walk Benton's Alyssa Wiebel the first three times. Another freebie was in progress when Wiebel rapped a single to right on a pitch that strayed too close to the plate.

So it was players like Jaicee Lyons, Angie Gorkow and Anna Stenberg that drove in the runs. Gorkow, an eighth-grader, had two RBIs on a sacrifice fly and a single.

'When they walk Alyssa, it means I need to get a base hit and drive people in,” Gorkow said. 'I didn't think they were going to pitch to her a lot tonight.”

Mount Vernon struck first. Libby Ryan singled with two outs in the top of the first, stole second, then stole third and scored when the throw sailed into left field.

But Benton answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning, and took the lead for good. Brunssen and Hulsebus started it with back-to-back infield singles, then scored on Lyons' groundout and Gorkow's sac fly to right.

The Bobcats made it 4-1 in the third. Gorkow's single plated Hulsebus, and Wiebel followed her home on an obstruction call at third on the same play.

Stenberg's bases-loaded walk in the fifth made it 5-1, then Mount Vernon scored on Lily Dahlstrom's RBI triple in the seventh. It was only the second earned run allowed by Benton pitcher Amber Fiser (24-1) this season.

Fiser scattered three hits, struck out 10 and walked three.

Mount Vernon will face Crestwood (25-6) in a consolation semifinal at noon Wednesday, then will play for fifth or seventh place at 4 p.m.

BENTON COMMUNITY 5, MOUNT VERNON 2

Class 3A State Quarterfinal, at Fort Dodge

Mount Vernon 100 000 1 - 2 3 4

Benton Community 202 010 x - 5 5 4

Lily Dahlstrom and Jaicee Lyons. Lily Dahlstrom and Annie See. W - Fiser (24-1). L - Dahlstrom (16-6).

l Comments: (319) 368-8857; jeff.linder@thegazette.com