Benton is 1-9 against Bucktail since April of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Benton Tigers will head out on the road to square off against the Bucktail Bucks at 4:30 p.m.
Benton couldn't capitalize on their home-field advantage in their season opener. Their tough 21-0 defeat to Northwest Area on Monday might stick with them for a while. The loss means Benton is still on the hunt for the season's first 'W'.
Meanwhile, Bucktail had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 12-2 margin over the Red Raiders. Fans of Bucktail have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout.
Makenzie Wagner was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (she also only allowed one walk). Wagner has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two hits every time she's pitched this season. Wagner was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lola English, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Gianna Balchun was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Benton might still be hurting after the 14-4 defeat they got from Bucktail in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Thankfully for Benton, Haley Burrows (who scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
