The Willcox Cowboys will challenge the Benson Bobcats at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Benson will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Willcox extended their winning streak to four on Monday. The Cowboys put the hurt on Santa Cruz Valley with a sharp 11-5 win. Willcox's victory was all the more impressive since the Dust Devils were averaging only four runs allowed on the season.
Nataly Thompson was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. Another player making a difference was Karlie St Clair, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Willcox hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Benson came tearing into Tuesday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Everything went their way against the Eagles as they made off with a 21-1 win.
Mandy Watson made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Those seven strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Millie Kellogg, who scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Those four runs gave her a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kaylei Taylor, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple.
Willcox's victory bumped their record up to 11-7. As for Benson, the win got them back to even at 9-9.
Willcox beat Benson 19-16 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Will the Cowboys repeat their success, or do the Bobcats have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
