Baseball Recap: Benton Picks Up Fourth Consecutive Victory

With a playoff win on the line, Benton rose to the challenge on Thursday. They had just enough and edged out the Mt. Carmel Aces 9-7. The victory was nothing new for the Rangers as they're now sitting on four straight.

Hunter Irvin spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered four earned (and three unearned) runs on 11 hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.

Lane Croslin

Hits (Career)

05/28/26 @ Mt. Carmel	3
05/20/26 vs Johnston City	2
04/20/26 vs Anna-Jonesboro	2
04/02/26 vs Massac County	2
03/24/26 @ Salem	2

At the plate, Lane Croslin and Holden Skibo did most of the damage at the plate: Croslin went 3-for-4 with four RBI and one double, while Skibo went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Those three hits gave Croslin a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kruz Koester, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.

Benton's win bumped their record up to 15-16. As for Mt. Carmel, their defeat dropped their record down to 19-10.

Coming up, Benton will take on Carmi-White County at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Mt. Carmel does not have any more games scheduled as of now.