Softball Game Preview: Benton Tigers vs. West Ouachita Chiefs

Benton is 1-7 against West Ouachita since March of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Tigers will look to defend their home field against the Chiefs at 4:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Benton sitting on six straight victories and West Ouachita on five.

Benton is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Louisiana's top teams: Quitman, who was ranked 19th at the time (Benton was ranked 18th). The Tigers had just enough and edged out the Wolverines 6-4.

Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but West Ouachita ultimately got the result they hoped for on Monday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Quitman, sneaking past 7-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Chiefs have posted since March 8th.

West Ouachita pushed their record up to 17-12 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.0 runs over those games. As for Benton, their victory bumped their record up to 21-5.

Benton took their win against West Ouachita in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 8-1 score. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Chiefs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.