Baseball Game Preview: Benton Rangers vs. Hardin County Cougars

The Benton Rangers will challenge the Hardin County Cougars at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Hardin County took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Benton, who comes in off a win.

Benton took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-5 victory over Centralia. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Rangers have posted since May 1, 2024.

Peyton Robinson

Batters Struck Out (Career)

03/19/25 vs Centralia	8
03/11/24 vs Bartlett	3
04/05/24 vs Nashville	2
05/04/24 vs Marshall County	1
03/22/24 vs Carmi-White County	1

Peyton Robinson made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up five earned runs off ten hits (and only one walk). The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases.

Robinson wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Kyle Thomas, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4. That's the most runs Thomas has posted since back in April of 2024. Holden Skibo was another, going 2-for-3 with one RBI.

Meanwhile, Hardin County lost 10-2 to Massac County on Thursday.

Hardin County's defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 0-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Benton, the victory got them back to even at 1-1.

Benton came out on top in a nail-biter against Hardin County when the teams last played back in March of 2024, sneaking past 5-4. Does Benton have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hardin County turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.