ARGYLE - The Black Hawk offense blew up in the fourth inning against Argyle, scoring seven runs to break a 1-1 tie. The Warriors went on to win the ballgame, 14-3.
"They hit the ball hard," Argyle coach Chuck Bredeson said of Black Hawk. "Once they came up in the fourth, they were hitting it hard and finding gaps."
Five Warriors recorded multiple base hits. Logan Stietz was 4-for-5 for Black Hawk with a double and a triple; Cory Rupnow was 3-for-5 with 3 doubles; and Mike Powers, Tayler Rupnow and Coltin Piefer each had two hits.
Freshman Derek Flannery led the Orioles offense with a 3-for-3 showing at the plate. Sophomore Colton Ploessl was the other Oriole with multiple basehits, going 2-for-3.
Merik Meythaler started on the mound for Black Hawk and tossed a complete game, giving up one earned run and 7 hits, while striking out 13.
"He threw well," Bredeson said of Meythaler. "He got up and threw first-pitch strikes. He kept us off balance. He threw a strike, got back on the mound, threw a strike, got back on the mound. He didn't dink around wasting time."
The loss was the second of the year for the Orioles, who now sit at 6-2 (5-2 in the Six Rivers East). Argyle hosts Highland on Friday, while Black Hawk will take on Benton-Shullsburg.
Fennimore 12, Darlington 2
DARLINGTON - Tuesday's game against Fennimore was a lot more than just a baseball game for Aric Geissbuhler and the Darlington baseball team. Geissbuhler was in a rollover accident after the Redbirds game on Monday night, but he fortunately walked away unharmed.
Geissbuhler was back in the lineup for the Redbirds Tuesday night and had a hit and an RBI.
"He walked away somehow, we're just so thankful," said Darlington coach Matt Austin. "If you saw the pictures, you'd be amazed he walked away. It was a big night for him. He just went out there thankful to be alive."
Unfortunately, the results on the field for the Redbirds weren't as good. Fennimore scored in every inning on their way to a 12-2 win.
"They hit the ball well," Austin said of Fennimore. "We had some mishaps. If we could have cut back on errors, we probably would have kept the game a little closer, but they're a very good team. They're at the top of the league right now."
Jason Singer had a big night at the plate for the Redbirds, going 3-for-4 with two doubles.
"He had a very big night," Austin said. "He's hitting the ball well. He's attacking, that's the big thing. He's not waiting back."
Darlington (3-6, 1-4 SWAL) will travel to Southwestern on Friday. Austin said his team needs to cut back on the number of errors they commit if they want to win.
"The big thing is we gotta knock the ball down when it's in play," he said. "We had six errors. We cannot have six errors. Something we addressed at the beginning of the year was having a goal of less than two errors a game. Six is not gonna cut it."
Pec 7, Albany 5
Albany 7, PeC 4
BLANCHARDVILLE - Eliminating walks and errors proved to be the difference, as Pecatonica split a doubleheader Tuesday.
Pecatonica edged Albany 7-5 in the first game and the Comets defeated the Vikings 7-4 in the night cap of two five-inning games.
Pecatonica's Chase Norton pitched five innings in the first game to earn the win. He gave up five runs on seven hits. He struck out six and walked five.
"Both games were similar in that the team that out-hit the other team ended up not winning," Pecatonica coach Jim Strommen said. "It was the team that walked the fewest and made less errors. That was the difference."
Albany's Clinton Sullivan went 2-for-3 to lead the Comets. Albany junior Mitchell Kauk pitched 1 1/3 innings and gave up three runs. He struck out two, walked six and hit one. Mitchell Trow pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief and gave up four runs on four hits. He struck out three and walked one.
In the second game, Albany scored five runs in the third to come back to win. Albany junior Ethan Pfeuti tossed a complete game and gave up four runs on 10 hits. He struck out three and walked three.
Two Pecatonica pitchers combined to walk eight, and the Vikings committed three errors. Kauk went 2-for-3 to lead the Comets. Pecatonica's Brooks Chandler pitched two innings and gave up six runs on three hits. He struck out one and walked six. Kyle Kleppe tossed two innings in relief and gave up one run on one hit. He struck out three and walked two.
Pecatonica junior Tyler Hodgson went 3-for-3, while sophomore Drew Schliem and Kleppe each went 2-for-3.
Barneveld 17, Monticello 0
MONTICELLO - The Monticello baseball team struggled against a tough Barneveld team in a 17-0 loss.
"Barneveld came out in the first inning and hit the ball well," said Monticello coach Scott White. "They scored four in the first. They had multiple hits right on the button, line shots. They're a real solid hitting team."
Bryce Klitzke started on the hill for Monticello and pitched four innings while giving up 10 runs.
Monticello (0-9) plays Barneveld again today in Barneveld. White said his team will need to improve defensively to have a shot.
"We need to play a little better defense. Knowing where to be," he said. "We had a few dropped balls, had some guys out of position. Part of that is being young. Hopefully we can get our minds set and play with some confidence."
Lake Mills 17,
New Glarus 2
NEW GLARUS - After a painful first inning, the New Glarus baseball team settled in but could not overcome Lake Mills, falling to the L-Cats 17-2 in five innings Tuesday, April 30.
"It was a very long first inning," said New Glarus coach Ross Eddy. "We couldn't get out of it."
Lake Mills put up 10 runs in the first. The main culprit for the Glarner Knights were errors, of which they had 8 for the game. That said, Eddy said he was pleased with the way his team put the rough start behind them, especially starting pitcher T.J. Duerst.
"T.J. pitched great after that first inning," Eddy said. "We came out a little flat and we walked the bases loaded, T.J. got a strikeout, and after that it seemed like we couldn't keep the ball in play. After that inning, we came back, scored a run right away ... we played solid baseball for the rest of the game. I was really proud with how the kids bounced back and picked themselves up after the first inning.
"The thing is we're hitting the ball, we just tend to hit the ball right at people. The more practice we get and the more we see live pitching, the more those are going to fall through."
Duerst took the loss for New Glarus, pitching four innings while striking out two and walking three. Of the 17 runs he allowed, only 9 were earned.
Lake Mills' Hayden White got the win, holding the Knights to just two hits. He walked one and struck out one. Duerst and junior Tyler Molencamp collected New Glarus' only hits, and Molencamp drove in one of the team's two runs.
Eddy said jitters may have also played a big role in the team's early struggles in the game, and he says that's something the young team will have to get used to.
"It was our first home game of the year," Eddy said. "We started three freshmen in the infield, and I think everyone was a little nervous playing in front of the home crowd. We have a lot of freshmen. We're going to have a lot of firsts this year."
New Glarus will travel to taken on conference foe Marshall in a doubleheader on Friday, May 3.
"We're excited to get back to the conference games and get the taste out of our mouth (from Tuesday)," Eddy said.
Palmyra-Eagle 7, Brodhead 4
BRODHEAD - The Brodhead baseball team was unable to turn 13 hits into many runs, as the Cardinals fell to Palmyra-Eagle Tuesday.
Matt Trotter, Tyler Davis and Trent Gerlach each had three hits for the Cardinals. Kyle Wescontt also added two hits. Brodhead coach Tom Nipple said a big reason for the lack of runs was when those hits came.
"We started a lot of innings with two outs. We got our lead-off batter on once, so that was part of it. Only one of seven innings did we get our lead-off guys on," he said.
Gerlach started on the mound for Brodhead. Gerlach went 4 2/3 innings and gave up six runs, five of which were earned. Derek Turner relieved Gerlach, going the final 2 1/3, and giving up one run. Although Palmyra-Eagle only had 6 hits, Nipple said their lead-off hitters enabled them to get runners on early.
"We let too many of their lead-off hitters on," he said. "Every inning their lead-off hitter got on, they scored. That was four innings. The innings they didn't get their lead-off hitter on, they didn't score."
Brodhead (0-6) will look to pick up their first win of the year on Thursday when they play Palmyra-Eagle again. Nipple said success in that game depends, not surprisingly, on the lead-off hitters.
"We need to try to keep their lead-off hitter off the bases for them and try to get our lead-off hitter on," he said. "We didn't do that very well tonight. They're hits counted, ours didn't seem to do much."
"They hit the ball hard," Argyle coach Chuck Bredeson said of Black Hawk. "Once they came up in the fourth, they were hitting it hard and finding gaps."
Five Warriors recorded multiple base hits. Logan Stietz was 4-for-5 for Black Hawk with a double and a triple; Cory Rupnow was 3-for-5 with 3 doubles; and Mike Powers, Tayler Rupnow and Coltin Piefer each had two hits.
Freshman Derek Flannery led the Orioles offense with a 3-for-3 showing at the plate. Sophomore Colton Ploessl was the other Oriole with multiple basehits, going 2-for-3.
Merik Meythaler started on the mound for Black Hawk and tossed a complete game, giving up one earned run and 7 hits, while striking out 13.
"He threw well," Bredeson said of Meythaler. "He got up and threw first-pitch strikes. He kept us off balance. He threw a strike, got back on the mound, threw a strike, got back on the mound. He didn't dink around wasting time."
The loss was the second of the year for the Orioles, who now sit at 6-2 (5-2 in the Six Rivers East). Argyle hosts Highland on Friday, while Black Hawk will take on Benton-Shullsburg.
Fennimore 12, Darlington 2
DARLINGTON - Tuesday's game against Fennimore was a lot more than just a baseball game for Aric Geissbuhler and the Darlington baseball team. Geissbuhler was in a rollover accident after the Redbirds game on Monday night, but he fortunately walked away unharmed.
Geissbuhler was back in the lineup for the Redbirds Tuesday night and had a hit and an RBI.
"He walked away somehow, we're just so thankful," said Darlington coach Matt Austin. "If you saw the pictures, you'd be amazed he walked away. It was a big night for him. He just went out there thankful to be alive."
Unfortunately, the results on the field for the Redbirds weren't as good. Fennimore scored in every inning on their way to a 12-2 win.
"They hit the ball well," Austin said of Fennimore. "We had some mishaps. If we could have cut back on errors, we probably would have kept the game a little closer, but they're a very good team. They're at the top of the league right now."
Jason Singer had a big night at the plate for the Redbirds, going 3-for-4 with two doubles.
"He had a very big night," Austin said. "He's hitting the ball well. He's attacking, that's the big thing. He's not waiting back."
Darlington (3-6, 1-4 SWAL) will travel to Southwestern on Friday. Austin said his team needs to cut back on the number of errors they commit if they want to win.
"The big thing is we gotta knock the ball down when it's in play," he said. "We had six errors. We cannot have six errors. Something we addressed at the beginning of the year was having a goal of less than two errors a game. Six is not gonna cut it."
Pec 7, Albany 5
Albany 7, PeC 4
BLANCHARDVILLE - Eliminating walks and errors proved to be the difference, as Pecatonica split a doubleheader Tuesday.
Pecatonica edged Albany 7-5 in the first game and the Comets defeated the Vikings 7-4 in the night cap of two five-inning games.
Pecatonica's Chase Norton pitched five innings in the first game to earn the win. He gave up five runs on seven hits. He struck out six and walked five.
"Both games were similar in that the team that out-hit the other team ended up not winning," Pecatonica coach Jim Strommen said. "It was the team that walked the fewest and made less errors. That was the difference."
Albany's Clinton Sullivan went 2-for-3 to lead the Comets. Albany junior Mitchell Kauk pitched 1 1/3 innings and gave up three runs. He struck out two, walked six and hit one. Mitchell Trow pitched 2 2/3 innings in relief and gave up four runs on four hits. He struck out three and walked one.
In the second game, Albany scored five runs in the third to come back to win. Albany junior Ethan Pfeuti tossed a complete game and gave up four runs on 10 hits. He struck out three and walked three.
Two Pecatonica pitchers combined to walk eight, and the Vikings committed three errors. Kauk went 2-for-3 to lead the Comets. Pecatonica's Brooks Chandler pitched two innings and gave up six runs on three hits. He struck out one and walked six. Kyle Kleppe tossed two innings in relief and gave up one run on one hit. He struck out three and walked two.
Pecatonica junior Tyler Hodgson went 3-for-3, while sophomore Drew Schliem and Kleppe each went 2-for-3.
Barneveld 17, Monticello 0
MONTICELLO - The Monticello baseball team struggled against a tough Barneveld team in a 17-0 loss.
"Barneveld came out in the first inning and hit the ball well," said Monticello coach Scott White. "They scored four in the first. They had multiple hits right on the button, line shots. They're a real solid hitting team."
Bryce Klitzke started on the hill for Monticello and pitched four innings while giving up 10 runs.
Monticello (0-9) plays Barneveld again today in Barneveld. White said his team will need to improve defensively to have a shot.
"We need to play a little better defense. Knowing where to be," he said. "We had a few dropped balls, had some guys out of position. Part of that is being young. Hopefully we can get our minds set and play with some confidence."
Lake Mills 17,
New Glarus 2
NEW GLARUS - After a painful first inning, the New Glarus baseball team settled in but could not overcome Lake Mills, falling to the L-Cats 17-2 in five innings Tuesday, April 30.
"It was a very long first inning," said New Glarus coach Ross Eddy. "We couldn't get out of it."
Lake Mills put up 10 runs in the first. The main culprit for the Glarner Knights were errors, of which they had 8 for the game. That said, Eddy said he was pleased with the way his team put the rough start behind them, especially starting pitcher T.J. Duerst.
"T.J. pitched great after that first inning," Eddy said. "We came out a little flat and we walked the bases loaded, T.J. got a strikeout, and after that it seemed like we couldn't keep the ball in play. After that inning, we came back, scored a run right away ... we played solid baseball for the rest of the game. I was really proud with how the kids bounced back and picked themselves up after the first inning.
"The thing is we're hitting the ball, we just tend to hit the ball right at people. The more practice we get and the more we see live pitching, the more those are going to fall through."
Duerst took the loss for New Glarus, pitching four innings while striking out two and walking three. Of the 17 runs he allowed, only 9 were earned.
Lake Mills' Hayden White got the win, holding the Knights to just two hits. He walked one and struck out one. Duerst and junior Tyler Molencamp collected New Glarus' only hits, and Molencamp drove in one of the team's two runs.
Eddy said jitters may have also played a big role in the team's early struggles in the game, and he says that's something the young team will have to get used to.
"It was our first home game of the year," Eddy said. "We started three freshmen in the infield, and I think everyone was a little nervous playing in front of the home crowd. We have a lot of freshmen. We're going to have a lot of firsts this year."
New Glarus will travel to taken on conference foe Marshall in a doubleheader on Friday, May 3.
"We're excited to get back to the conference games and get the taste out of our mouth (from Tuesday)," Eddy said.
Palmyra-Eagle 7, Brodhead 4
BRODHEAD - The Brodhead baseball team was unable to turn 13 hits into many runs, as the Cardinals fell to Palmyra-Eagle Tuesday.
Matt Trotter, Tyler Davis and Trent Gerlach each had three hits for the Cardinals. Kyle Wescontt also added two hits. Brodhead coach Tom Nipple said a big reason for the lack of runs was when those hits came.
"We started a lot of innings with two outs. We got our lead-off batter on once, so that was part of it. Only one of seven innings did we get our lead-off guys on," he said.
Gerlach started on the mound for Brodhead. Gerlach went 4 2/3 innings and gave up six runs, five of which were earned. Derek Turner relieved Gerlach, going the final 2 1/3, and giving up one run. Although Palmyra-Eagle only had 6 hits, Nipple said their lead-off hitters enabled them to get runners on early.
"We let too many of their lead-off hitters on," he said. "Every inning their lead-off hitter got on, they scored. That was four innings. The innings they didn't get their lead-off hitter on, they didn't score."
Brodhead (0-6) will look to pick up their first win of the year on Thursday when they play Palmyra-Eagle again. Nipple said success in that game depends, not surprisingly, on the lead-off hitters.
"We need to try to keep their lead-off hitter off the bases for them and try to get our lead-off hitter on," he said. "We didn't do that very well tonight. They're hits counted, ours didn't seem to do much."
