The Benton Central Bison will take on the Kankakee Valley Kougars at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Benton Central hasn't scored more than two runs for four games straight, a trend the team is eager to reverse.
Benton Central lost 13-2 to North Montgomery on Friday.
Benton Central saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Caden Kawlewski, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
Meanwhile, Kankakee Valley can bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Friday. They were the clear victors by a 10-2 margin over Rensselaer Central. The Kougars not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since April 18th (when they won 16-8).
Elliott Patton looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Kankakee Valley is 4-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 4-8-1 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Declan Murr and Donny Stam did most of the damage at the plate: Murr went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Stam went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. That's the most RBI Stam has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was GrayLee Weaver, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Kankakee Valley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Kankakee Valley's victory bumped their record up to 8-9-1. As for Benton Central, their loss dropped their record down to 5-15.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Benton Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Kankakee Valley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
