West Lafayette and Benton Central are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2019, but likely not for long. The Red Devils will be playing at home against the Bison at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
On Thursday, West Lafayette got the win against Faith Christian by a conclusive 12-2. The Red Devils might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by seven runs or more this season.
Molly Mansfield
| 05/01/25 vs Faith Christian | 2 |
| 04/30/25 @ Lafayette Central Catholic | 1 |
| 04/23/25 vs Lafayette Central Catholic | 1 |
| 04/17/25 @ Clinton Central | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ Benton Central | 1 |
Molly Mansfield made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with two RBI, one run, and one double. Those two RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Bree Johnson was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. That triple marked the first that she has hit this season. Kerrigan Gooden was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
West Lafayette was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .391. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Benton Central, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. They blew past Lafayette Central Catholic 12-2 on Thursday. The contest marked the Bison's most dominant victory of the season.
Reagan Dowell spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on five hits and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Mariyah Rich, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Madison Minniear, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base.
West Lafayette's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-6. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Benton Central, their win bumped their record up to 5-8.
Benton Central's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: West Lafayette has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.5 hits per game. It's a different story for Benton Central, though, as they've been averaging 9.6 hits. Given West Lafayette's sizable advantage in that area, the Bison will need to find a way to close that gap.
West Lafayette was able to grind out a solid victory over Benton Central when the teams last played back in April, winning 9-4. Will the Red Devils repeat their success, or do the Bison have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
