Tri-County is 0-7 against Benton Central since April of 2015 but things could change on Friday. The Cavaliers are taking a road trip to face off against the Bison at 5:30 p.m. Tri-County is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last five games.
While Tri-County's win against West Central wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Cavaliers won by a run and slipped past the Trojans 6-5.
The team relied heavily on Grayson Schneider, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024. Nick Foster also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Tri-County was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Central only posted a batting average of .276.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Benton Central). Everything went their way against North Newton on Thursday as they made off with a 9-3 victory. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Nolan Winkler made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Winkler was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kaydric Tyson was excellent, going 3-for-4 with two runs and two doubles. Tanner Pitstick was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Tri-County pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Benton Central, their victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 3-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Tri-County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Benton Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Tri-County couldn't quite finish off Benton Central in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 and fell 5-3. Can the Cavaliers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
