DU QUOIN -- Benton High School's baseball team ended a six-year jinx here Saturday, defeating the host Indians, 7-1, in the championship game of the Du Quoin Class 2A Regional.
Pinpoint pitching from senior Ian McMahon, excellent defense and solid hitting lifted the Rangers into the Harrisburg Sectional next week.
Du Quoin's only run was a solo homer from Alex Zimmerman, who ironically, was also the losing pitcher. Zimmerman pitched four innings, allowing one run on five hits. He struck out seven.
Benton senior Hamilton Page tied the game with a leadoff dinger in the fourth. The Rangers added another tally in the fifth when Tyler Butler doubled down the right-field line and scored on Gehrig Wynn's single through the right side of the infield.
The Rangers blew the game wide open in the top of the seventh, scoring four runs, including a three-run homer off the bat of senior Parker Williams. McMahon, who was 2-for-3, collected his second RBI of the game following Parker's blast as the Rangers batted around in the inning.
Page and Wynn both went 2-for-4 for Benton, now 24-11. It was the first regional title for the Rangers since 2012.
Reliever Hank Stewart gave up five runs to Benton on four hits.
McMahon went the distance for Benton. The senior southpaw surrendered six hits, however, he struck out 11 Du Quoin batters and issued just one walk.
"It was probably the best outing of my high school career," McMahon said in a postgame interview. "I was working my fastball in and out. I was trying to sneak a few breaking balls as well but they got kind of flat on me late. I let my defense do as much as they could (to help)."
Benton will play Anna-Jonesboro, the winner of the Johnston City Regional, at 4 p.m. Wednesday in Harrisburg.
See more in Wednesday's print edition of the Benton News.
