Jr. High Baseball: Warriors Rock Benton in Six Innings

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Du Quoin (Middle School) started its home baseball schedule with a lopsided victory Monday afternoon on Ernie Reminger/Bill Mathis Field, blasting Benton 13-3 in six innings.

Now 3-1, DMS plays again Thursday at Chester, opening defense of its Junior Southwestern Egyptian Conference (Jr. SWEC) title.

The Warriors banged out 15 hits in the shortened affair, with five of those safeties going for extra bases.

Kody Hess was 3-for-3 at the plate with Noah Campbell and Jacob Valier each adding two hits. Brenden Shepard was 3-for-4.

Camden Youngman-the winning pitcher for DMS-added a two-run homer in the second inning.

"We had a good day at the plate," Warriors coach Tim Craft said. "We did make some mistakes in the third inning that kept Benton alive in the game. If we can eliminate the one bad inning we've seemed to have, then we are going to be a very good team."

Du Quoin jumped to a 3-0 lead in the opening frame and the margin reached 8-3 by the end of three.

Dalton Bigham, Valier, Camdon Mercier and a triple from AJ Smith.

One frame later, the contest ended via the mercy rule when Shepard singled home Campbell with the decisive tally.

Youngman (1-0) tossed the first four innings and didn't surrender a hit. He struck out eight and walked four.

Campbell finished up with two innings of solid work, whiffing one. He gave all three Benton hits.

Hess' big day at the plate included a double and triple. Campbell and Shepard added doubles.

DMS 13, Benton 3

Benton 003 000-3 3 4

DMS 332 041-13 15 3

WP-Youngman, 1-0. DMS Hitters: Mercier 1-3 (RBI), Smith 1-3 (3B, RBI), Youngman 1-3 (HR, 2 RBI), Cook 1-4 (RBI), Campbell 2-3 (2B), Hess 3-3 (2B, 3B, RBI), Bigham 1-3, Shepard 3-4 (2B, RBI), J. Valier 2-3 (2 RBI)