The Benton Rangers will take on the Herrin Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Benton has three straight victories, Herrin has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Tuesday, Benton needed a bit of extra time to put away Nashville. They had just enough and edged out the Hornets 7-6. That's two games straight that the Rangers have won by just one run.
The team relied heavily on Malia Webb (2025), who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Lucy Giacone (2025), who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Benton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .528 or higher in three consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Herrin came up short against Massac County on Tuesday and fell 13-10.
Madison Monchino was cooking despite her team's loss, going 3-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Madison Dickerson was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Benton pushed their record up to 11-7 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Herrin, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-10.
Herrin's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Benton has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.4 hits per game. It's a different story for Herrin, though, as they've been averaging 10.6 hits. Given Benton's sizable advantage in that area, the Tigers will need to find a way to close that gap.
Benton couldn't quite get it done against Herrin when the teams last played back in May of 2024 as they fell 7-3. Can the Rangers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.