The Benton Rangers will head out on the road to challenge the Anna-Jonesboro Wildcats at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
While Benton didn't have the best season last year (they finished 8-22), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over DuQuoin on Monday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Rangers.
Avery Thomas (2027) made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Thomas (2027) was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
Jaycee Webb (2027)
| 04/07/25 @ DuQuoin | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Pope County | 3 |
| 03/28/25 @ Carmi-White County | 1 |
| 03/27/25 vs Eldorado | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jaycee Webb (2027), who went 2-for-5 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three RBI. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played. McKenna Drew was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Anna-Jonesboro strolled into their game on Monday with a perfect record and they left with the same. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Nashville a 14-0 shutout.
Kansas Craig was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high. Jayci Needling also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Anna-Jonesboro was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .367 or higher every time they've taken the field this season.
Benton picked up their first road win, bumping their record up to 6-4. As for Anna-Jonesboro, their victory was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-0.
Tuesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Benton has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .548. However, it's not like Anna-Jonesboro struggles in that department as they've averaged .578. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Benton suffered a grim 15-0 defeat to Anna-Jonesboro in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Can the Rangers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
