The Benton Rangers will head out on the road to challenge the Frankfort Redbirds at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Benton made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Nashville, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Rangers were the clear victors by a 14-7 margin over the Hornets on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Rangers.
Carlie James (2026) made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. James (2026) was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in four of her five plate appearances with one double.
Bella Miller
| 04/11/25 @ Nashville | 3 |
| 03/27/25 vs Eldorado | 2 |
| 03/24/25 vs Century | 1 |
| 03/22/25 vs Zeigler-Royalton | 1 |
| 03/19/25 vs Richland County | 1 |
In other batting news, Benton got a massive performance out of Bella Miller, who went 4-for-5 with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. Those three runs gave Miller a new career-high. Malia Webb (2025) was another key player, getting on base in five of her six plate appearances with four RBI, one run, and one double.
While Frankfort didn't have the best season last year (they finished 13-18), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. Everything went their way against DuQuoin on Friday as they made off with a 14-4 win.
Makayla Joyner was a standout: she scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Ady Trogolo also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Frankfort was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .486. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .308 or higher in seven consecutive games.
Frankfort's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 10-2. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 4.0 runs on average over those games. As for Benton, their record now sits at 8-5.
Monday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Benton has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .555. However, it's not like Frankfort struggles in that department as they've averaged .481. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Benton suffered a grim 10-3 defeat to Frankfort when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can the Rangers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
