Softball Game Preview: Benton Central Bison vs. Carroll Cougars

The Benton Central Bison will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the Carroll Cougars at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Benton Central is coming home in high spirits after they had to open their season on the road against Lafayette Central Catholic. The Bison blew past the Knights 13-7 on Tuesday. The game was the first time the Bison have beaten the Knights on their field since April 5, 2022.

Reagan Dowell spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and three unearned) runs on ten hits.

Mariyah Rich

Runs (Career)

04/08/25 @ Lafayette Central Catholic	3
05/13/24 vs Frontier	2
04/18/24 vs Seeger	2
04/16/24 @ McCutcheon	2
04/30/24 vs West Lafayette	1

On the hitting side, Mariyah Rich was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-5. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Hunter Biddle, who scored a run while going 3-for-5.

Benton Central was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lafayette Central Catholic only posted a batting average of .290.

Meanwhile, Carroll made easy work of Twin Lakes on Tuesday and carried off a 12-4 win. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Indians recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.

Emily Justice made a big impact no matter where she played. She pitched seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits. Justice was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Serenity DeBoard, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Kaylin Randle was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances.

Benton Central suffered a grim 6-0 defeat to Carroll in their previous matchup back in May of 2015. Will the Bison have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.