The Benton Rangers will take on the Century Centurions at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Benton is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Zeigler-Royalton on Saturday as Benton made off with a 13-5 victory. The Rangers haven't had any issues with the Tornadoes recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Avery Thomas (2027)
| 03/22/25 vs Zeigler-Royalton | 8 |
| 03/18/25 @ Waltonville | 5 |
| 03/17/25 vs Norris City-Omaha-Enfield | 11 |
Avery Thomas (2027) spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and two unearned) runs on 11 hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Benton got a massive performance out of McKenna Drew, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs. Those triples were Drew's first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Malia Webb (2025), who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs.
Benton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Zeigler-Royalton only posted an OBP of .417.
Meanwhile, while Century put up plenty of runs on Friday, the same can't be said for Carrier Mills-Stonefort. Century blew past Carrier Mills-Stonefort 15-0. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Centurions.
Kali Crain made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She tossed 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Crain was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Hayden Anderson was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. Those four RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Baylea Crain, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Century's victory bumped their record up to 2-0. As for Benton, the win got them back to even at 2-2.
Benton skirted past Century 4-3 when the teams last played back in March of 2023. Does Benton have another victory up their sleeve, or will Century turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
