Jen Foster
Benton Central’s varsity baseball team is a depleted roster compared to a season ago. They lost 12 seniors and only have one returning player from last year’s Sectional team – Grant Weise. Their team consists of several underclassmen, and their start to the season has replicated that inexperience.
The boys opened their season with a road game against Covington, and it was a tough matchup. Covington got the better of BC, winning 10-0. It was a rude awakening, but their second game went much better.
They faced Rensselaer in their home opener, and it was a tight game. The Bombers were up 5-0 at the top of the 7th inning, but BC clawed back to even the score and sent the game into extra innings. In the 9th inning, Rensselaer added two more runs to win the game 7-5.
Just a day later, the Bison got their revenge, beating Rensselaer 4-2 for their first win of the season. Senior Kaydric Tyson and Freshman Lucas Snyder had two hits apiece to help lead the Bison to victory.
Next up, they faced Clinton Prairie in a game that I’m sure all Benton Central players are hoping to forget. Clinton Prairie hung 23 runs and 19 hits on the Bison as they dominated their way to a 23-0 victory. This was a devastating loss for BC, and the team will be looking to bounce back with a series against Central Catholic looming.
The Bison are off to a 1-3 start to the season, which is understandable given their roster turnover and lack of experience. Coach Hammel’s goal for his team is to improve and become better men, so as long as they can achieve that, they’ll have a successful season.