Benfield, Warriors get key win

Jake Benfield was double happy after an eventful seventh inning Tuesday.

That's because the West Caldwell senior had just survived one of the most bizarre innings of his career and propelled his team to a key 8-7 victory over Newton-Conover.

On the mound in the top half of the inning, Benfield watched a four-run lead evaporate with two Red Devil home runs and four errors behind him. Then, in the bottom of the inning, he belted a walk-off, two-run double to end the game.

“I wasn't too happy about the top of (the inning),” Benfield said. “The last part, I was excited we got people on base. I caught the ball right I guess. It was definitely exciting.”

The victory moves West Caldwell to 8-13 overall and 5-11 in the Catawba Valley Athletic Conference, still very much in the mix for the league's fourth and final 2-A playoff spot with two games to go.

West Caldwell controlled the game for six innings Tuesday, but the Red Devils scored five runs in the top half of the seventh to take a 7-6 lead. Needing to respond, the Warriors did. West Caldwell had runners at first and second with two outs when Benfield stepped into the batter's box with a shot at redemption.

“I was probably the happiest man in Caldwell County that I got that at-bat,” Benfield said.

Benfield ripped a shot off the center field wall, which drove in Luke Greene (reached on error) and Gordy Hendrix (hit by pitch) for the tying and winning run, respectively. Then he was swarmed by his teammates in the infield.

“That's what I was wanting,” Benfield said of the hit. “It's what I pictured in my head beforehand.”

The top half of the inning was not. West Caldwell had a comfortable 6-2 lead and Benfield had pretty much been cruising, but Ryan Kelley led off the inning with a solo home run to center. Then D.J. Bass drove in a run with a single and Andy Stoker followed with a three-run homer to left. All of a sudden, the Warriors and Benfield were behind.

“Up through about six innings, we were kind of in control for the most part,” West Caldwell coach Kevin Abee said. “The seventh is always tough. In this ballpark, you never know what might happen. Newton-Conover never quit. ...I'm proud of the guys finding a way to win.”

West Caldwell led as soon as it could. Leadoff man Gordy Hendrix blasted a solo home run to left in the bottom of the first. The Red Devils tied it at 1-1 in the fourth, but West Caldwell responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Benfield, an RBI double by Jeffrey Rousselle and a two-RBI triple off the bat of Ray Bowles. Newton-Conover cut it to 5-2 in the fifth, but Rousselle scored on a two-error play in the sixth to give Benfield the cushion entering the seventh.

The Warriors travel to St. Stephens Thursday and will close out the conference schedule Monday at Bunker Hill.