The Massac County Patriots will face off against the Benton Rangers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Massac County has seven straight victories, Benton has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
The home team had come away the winner the last five times Massac County and Vienna had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Patriots came out on top against the Eagles by a score of 7-3 on Tuesday. The game was the first time the Patriots have beaten the Eagles on their field since March 26, 2019.
Josh Gilbert
| 04/01/25 @ Vienna | 6 |
| 05/04/24 vs Johnston City | 5 |
| 03/28/25 vs Sparta | 4 |
| 03/24/25 vs Pinckneyville | 4 |
| 04/16/24 @ Herrin | 4 |
Josh Gilbert and Zach Maurer made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Gilbert struck out six batters over four innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Maurer tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Those six strikeouts gave Gilbert a new career-high. At bat, Gilbert went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double, while Maurer scored a run while going 2-for-4. That double was Gilbert's first of the season.
In other batting news, Massac County let Max Elliott and Ryan Musselman run wild. Elliott scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-4, while Musselman went 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. Those three stolen bases gave Elliott a new career-high. Zack Krueger was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Benton fell victim to Mt. Vernon and their airtight pitching crew on Monday. They lost 10-0 to the Rams.
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.
Massac County pushed their record up to 7-0 with the win, which was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Benton, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Massac County has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Benton struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Massac County's way against Benton in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, as Massac County made off with an 11-4 win. Will the Patriots repeat their success, or do the Rangers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
