Baseball Recap: Benton Comes Up Short

After flying high against Hamilton County on Wednesday, Benton came back down to earth. The Rangers fell just short of the Goreville Blackcats by a score of 2-1 on Friday. The Rangers were not able to make up for their loss to the Blackcats from their previous meeting back in April of 2025.

Hunter Irvin spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on seven hits and racked up six Ks.

At the plate, Holden Skibo was cooking despite his team's loss, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one double.

Benton has also been struggling recently as they've lost nine of their last 12 contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 11-16 record this season. As for Goreville, their record is now 22-4.

Looking ahead, Benton will be playing at home against Carmi-White County at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. As for Goreville, they will face off against Anna-Jonesboro at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Wildcats have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 8.92 runs per game on average), something the Blackcats will no doubt try to take advantage of.