The Bennington Badgers will head out on the road to take on the Pius X Thunderbolts at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Bennington will come into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
On Thursday, Bennington got the win against Crete by a conclusive 12-6. The result was nothing new for the Badgers, who have now won five games by six runs or more so far this season.
The team relied heavily on Morgan Schuman, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had over his last 11 matches. Hunter Spencer also deserves some recognition as he launched his first home run of the season.
Bennington was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .448. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Crete only posted a batting average of .240.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last contest, Pius X made sure to put some runs up on the board against Lincoln North Star on Thursday. The Thunderbolts were the clear victors by a 12-6 margin over the Navigators. With that victory, the Thunderbolts brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Pius X also got a great performance from Tanner Charf as he tossed six innings while giving up just two earned (and four unearned) runs off nine hits.
On the hitting side, Kai Vanis was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two triples, three runs, and three RBI. Pius X is 2-1 when Vanis posts two or more runs, but 3-5 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Isaac Minchow, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Bennington's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-0. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Pius X, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 5-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Bennington has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pius X struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Bennington came out on top in a nail-biter against Pius X in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 10-8. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Badgers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
