GRATIOT - Monticello junior Clare Gietzel was in fourth grade the last time the Monticello softball team won the Six Rivers East Conference championship.
Gietzel went 2-for-4 with two RBIs to propel Monticello to a 10-0 win over Black Hawk in five innings Tuesday, May 14, to clinch the Ponies' first conference title since 2006. Monticello earned a conference co-championship with Barneveld after the Eagles knocked off Albany 1-0.
"It would be nice if we would have had it to ourselves," Gietzel said. "It would have helped if we would have beat Barneveld the first time. It feels great. I've been lucky to be on such a close team."
With the win, Monticello (19-3, 9-1 Six Rivers East) capped off an amazing season where they are 5-1 in one-run games. The first four hitters in the Ponies' lineup went 8-for-15 on Tuesday. Monticello sophomore Jordan Garrison went 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Sophomore Alyssah Kubly and junior Marissa Berg were each 2-for-4. Sophomore Courtney Leuzinger drove in two runs.
"It's exciting," Garrison said. "We have worked really hard as a team. It feels good to pull it off. It just feels good to win conference."
Black Hawk committed seven errors. Monticello coach Duane Garrison was excited to deliver on the preseason expectations many had for his young team.
"It means a lot to our program," he said of winning conference. "At the start of the year, we and Barneveld were picked to win it. That's the way it worked out."
The Ponies led just 3-0 despite the Warriors committing four errors in the first three innings. The Ponies broke the game open, batting around in a six-run fourth. Gietzel and Garrison singled. Kubly then ripped an RBI single to left to give the Ponies a 4-0 lead. Berg and sophomore Samantha DeVoe came through with RBI singles. Leuzinger knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly to give the Ponies a 7-0 lead. Gietzel also had a key RBI single in the inning.
"We just had to focus on hitting the ball hard and putting it in play," Jordan Garrison said. "We pulled through that inning. I'm hoping we can keep it going through the regionals."
Duane Garrison said the key for the Ponies was putting the ball in play.
"That's a big thing in high school softball," he said. "A lot of things can happen with a bad throw or play. If you put the ball in play, good things will happen. If Gietzel and Jordan get on, we are going to score something. I think we are pretty solid 1 through 7."
Black Hawk senior Kelly Neuenschwander went 3-for-3 with two doubles to lead the Warriors. Monticello pitcher Claire Bruns tossed a complete game shutout. She scattered six hits, but made big pitches to get out of jams when she needed to. The Warriors were 1-for-10 hitting with runners in scoring position and left six on base.
Gietzel went 2-for-4 with two RBIs to propel Monticello to a 10-0 win over Black Hawk in five innings Tuesday, May 14, to clinch the Ponies' first conference title since 2006. Monticello earned a conference co-championship with Barneveld after the Eagles knocked off Albany 1-0.
"It would be nice if we would have had it to ourselves," Gietzel said. "It would have helped if we would have beat Barneveld the first time. It feels great. I've been lucky to be on such a close team."
With the win, Monticello (19-3, 9-1 Six Rivers East) capped off an amazing season where they are 5-1 in one-run games. The first four hitters in the Ponies' lineup went 8-for-15 on Tuesday. Monticello sophomore Jordan Garrison went 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Sophomore Alyssah Kubly and junior Marissa Berg were each 2-for-4. Sophomore Courtney Leuzinger drove in two runs.
"It's exciting," Garrison said. "We have worked really hard as a team. It feels good to pull it off. It just feels good to win conference."
Black Hawk committed seven errors. Monticello coach Duane Garrison was excited to deliver on the preseason expectations many had for his young team.
"It means a lot to our program," he said of winning conference. "At the start of the year, we and Barneveld were picked to win it. That's the way it worked out."
The Ponies led just 3-0 despite the Warriors committing four errors in the first three innings. The Ponies broke the game open, batting around in a six-run fourth. Gietzel and Garrison singled. Kubly then ripped an RBI single to left to give the Ponies a 4-0 lead. Berg and sophomore Samantha DeVoe came through with RBI singles. Leuzinger knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly to give the Ponies a 7-0 lead. Gietzel also had a key RBI single in the inning.
"We just had to focus on hitting the ball hard and putting it in play," Jordan Garrison said. "We pulled through that inning. I'm hoping we can keep it going through the regionals."
Duane Garrison said the key for the Ponies was putting the ball in play.
"That's a big thing in high school softball," he said. "A lot of things can happen with a bad throw or play. If you put the ball in play, good things will happen. If Gietzel and Jordan get on, we are going to score something. I think we are pretty solid 1 through 7."
Black Hawk senior Kelly Neuenschwander went 3-for-3 with two doubles to lead the Warriors. Monticello pitcher Claire Bruns tossed a complete game shutout. She scattered six hits, but made big pitches to get out of jams when she needed to. The Warriors were 1-for-10 hitting with runners in scoring position and left six on base.
