Baseball Game Preview: Benton Panthers vs. Robinson Senators

The Benton Panthers will head out to square off against the Robinson Senators at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Benton has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the match with three straight losses, while Robinson will come in with four straight wins.

Benton is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Arkansas' top teams: Maumelle, who was ranked fourth at the time (Benton was ranked tenth). The Panthers fell just short of the Hornets by a score of 2-1 on Tuesday. That's two games in a row now that the Panthers have lost by just one run.

Meanwhile, Robinson made easy work of Heber Springs on Tuesday and carried off a 17-5 victory. The Senators might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by six runs or more this season.

Robinson's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-5. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Benton, their defeat dropped their record down to 10-7.

Benton beat Robinson 5-2 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.