The Benton Central Varsity Lady Bison opened Hoosier Conference play on Tuesday with a hard-fought 3-1 loss at West Lafayette, despite out-hitting the Red Devils 6-3. Benton Central put consistent pressure on the West Lafayette defense throughout the game, with Adalynn Keller leading the way at the plate with two hits. Julianna Sibray drove in the Lady Bison’s lone run, while additional hits came from multiple contributors in a balanced offensive effort. West Lafayette struck early, plating a run on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning. The Red Devils added two more runs later in the game, with only one of those runs earned. Harper Butler delivered a strong performance in the circle for Benton Central, tossing a complete game. She allowed just three hits and three runs (one earned) over six innings, while striking out two and walking two. Defensively, the Lady Bison turned a double play and played a clean game behind Butler. West Lafayette’s pitcher was effective in the circle, recording 11 strikeouts while limiting Benton Central to one run. The Lady Bison will look to bounce back on Thursday, hosting Rensselaer Central HS at 5:45 PM at Kenny Greenberg Field.