12-run fourth inning keys Eagles against Black Knights

VAN BUREN – Liberty-Benton's offensive breakthrough Monday in Van Buren appeared to arrive in the top of the fourth inning, when the Eagles scored 12 runs off Black Knights pitching, But to L-B coach Matt Rader, his hitters were clicking well before that. "Our approaches were way different than we've had all year," said Rader, after his team clinched a share of the Blanchard Valley Conference with a 15-2 win over Van Buren. "We were dialed in from Pitch 1. We were driving the baseball, we had really good approaches at the plate." The Eagles (16-2, 7-0 BVC) scored three runs on one hit in the top of the first inning. Van Buren came back with a run in the bottom half, then made it 3-2 in the bottom of the third, when James Patton doubled home Brady Lance. It looked like Van Buren may have gained momentum. The Eagles stopped that in the top of the fourth. With the bases loaded and one out, Trevin Lieb smacked a double to left center, clearing the bases and making it 6-2. The next batter, Zach Elchert, chased home Lieb with his own double to left center. Then, Connor Arnold laced a single to score Elchert. With the Eagles now up 8-2 Van Buren pitcher Grady Mason retired the next batter, but wasn't able to get the final out. He allowed back-to-back singles to Landen Stansbery and Jarrett Haan, then allowed two walks and a hit batter before being relieved by Cale Henry. Mason walked five and struck out two in 3 2/3 innings. "It was just very uncharacteristic of Grady," said Van Buren coach Brooks Lance. "He's still our guy. He'll bounce back. In his next start, I have no doubt in my mind he'll have the confidence to get back on the mound and pitch and pitch well for us." Elchert and Arnold then hit an RBI single and RBI double, respectively, before the final out of the inning was recorded. Arnold said the key for the Eagles was being aggressive. "Recently we've been laid back, we haven't been swinging the bats as much as we should," said Arnold. "We were more aggressive; coaches were emphasizing that this week." Arnold finished the game with a team-high four runs batted in. "I was focused today. During pregame I was trying to stay locked in," Arnold said. "I think the whole team was locked in, so that helps. When the guys get the bats going, it kind of translates." Rader said Arnold does all of the little things for the Eagles' lineup. "If you look at the stats, he doesn't have great numbers, but his on-base percentage is really high," Rader said. "We put him in the 5-hole, he can get bunts down, he puts the ball in play, he does a good job of seeing pitches, so we feel really comfortable with him there. He does a lot of good things for us." All of that offense was more than enough for Haan, who allowed three hits and two runs – both unearned -- in five innings. Haan only struck out one, but he was very effective, pitching through a near downpour in the fourth inning and a bases loaded jam in the fifth. "He's a senior, he's been here before, he knows what he's doing," Rader said of his pitcher. "He knew from the beginning that he was going to have this game." For Van Buren (13-3, 6-1 BVC), it was a tough game, but coach Lance said his players will get things back on track. It has one more BVC game: at Vanlue, May 9. "We still have a lot of baseball, we still have a lot of goals in place," he said. "I'm not worried about these guys. Tonight's gonna be a little somber, when then they go home and realize that we just got beat by a lot of runs. But at the same time, these guys are resilient." As for Liberty-Benton, it will play Elmwood next Monday, in its BVC finale. If the Eagles win that, they will take the BVC championship outright. Rader said he doesn't expect the game to be easy. "It's a really good Elmwood team; we know we're gonna see some really good arms that night," he said. "We're gonna have to have similar approaches that we had tonight." Liberty-Benton 300&emsp;&emsp;(12)0 – 15 &emsp;&emsp;7 &emsp;&emsp;2 Van Buren &emsp;&emsp;101&emsp;&emsp;00 – 2 3 &emsp;&emsp;1 WP – Haan. LP – G. Mason. TOP HITTERS: (L-B) Arnold 2B, 1B, R, 4-RBI; Lieb 2B, 2R,3-RBI; Z. Elchert 2B, 1B, 3-RBI. (VB) Patton 2B, RBI; Stevens 3B, R.