Baseball Recap: Benson Picks Up Third Consecutive Victory

Benson lost a heartbreaker the last time they played West Central Area, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Thursday's matchup. Benson's pitcher stepped up to hand West Central Area a 10-0 shutout on Thursday. The result was nothing new for Benson, who have now won three contests by nine runs or more so far this season.

Alex Claussen made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Landon Skarsten, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three stolen bases, one triple, and two RBI. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 1.3 stolen bases per game. Max Nygaard was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run.

Benson was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .391. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

The victory (which was Benson's third in a row) raised their record to 5-3. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for West Central Area, their loss was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-6.

Coming up, Benson will venture away from home to square off against Ortonville at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. As for West Central Area, they will welcome Breckenridge at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday.