Baseball Game Preview: Benton Rangers vs. Hamilton County Foxes

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Previous Games

05/10/23 - Home	13-1 W
03/29/23 - Away	8-5 W
05/11/22 - Away	2-7 L
05/01/21 - Away	4-0 W
05/06/19 - Home	15-4 W
+ 5 more games

Benton is 9-1 against Hamilton County since May of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Rangers are taking a road trip to take on the Foxes at 4:30 p.m. The two teams have had a bumpy ride up to this point with four consecutive losses apiece.

Monday just wasn't the day for Benton's offense. They came up short against Mt. Vernon on Monday, falling 10-0.

Benton saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kyle Thomas, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one double.

Meanwhile, Hamilton County didn't have quite enough to beat Waltonville on Tuesday and fell 8-6.

Colby Karcher was huge no matter where he played even without the win. On the mound, he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Karcher was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. That stolen base marked the first that he snagged this season.

In other batting news, Jayden Melvin made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Those hits were his first of the season. Fred Ping was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.

Benton's record now sits at 4-8. As for Hamilton County, their record is now 1-5.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Benton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Hamilton County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Everything went Benton's way against Hamilton County when the teams last played back in May of 2023, as Benton made off with a 13-1 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rangers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.