Rangers win sectional title in extras

HARRISBURG -- A single from Benton High School's number nine hitter, Tyler Butler, gave the Rangers a 3-2 walkoff sectional championship here Saturday.
The win vaults the Rangers into the Elite Eight and a 5 p.m. Monday date with Teutopolis in a Class 2A Supersectional game at Sauget, home of the Gateway Grizzlies.
Butler's winning hit, hit deep in the gap between left and center, scored Ian McMahon, who had reached after being hit with a pitch and advanced to second on a Zach Avery single.
"You've got to give Tyler credit. He made a little bit of mistake, getting too aggressive, but came back and made up for it. He hits the ball with a tremendous amount of pop from the nine hole. Luckily, he came up and put it in the gap," said Benton coach Brett Blondi.
The Rangers, 26-11, were able to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh on a Hamilton Page RBI single to right. Leadoff hitter Gehrig Wynn, who was 3-for-3 for the Rangers, scored from second.
Wynn scored in the first inning on a two-out double from Brett Bonenberger. Nashville tied the game in third. Kelton Harre led off with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, to third on a Benton error and scored on an infield groundout.
The Hornets took a 2-1 lead in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk.
Benton starter McMahon went seven innings, breaking a school record (101) for career strikeouts. He needed seven to break the record and got nine against the Hornets. He gave up the two runs on four hits. Page pitched the final three innings, yielding no runs on three hits. He struck out three.
Offensively, McMahon left the bases loaded in the seventh with a strikeout and the Rangers ran themselves into two outs on the bases. Page, who also had three hits, tried to steal home and was gunned down and in the eighth Butler was in scoring position with one out when he got caught stealing third.
Benton needs just one victory to make next weekend's state playoffs. The last Rangers team to advance to Peoria was in 2001 when coach Jeff Roper led the squad to a fourth-place finish.