ARGYLE - The Argyle baseball team wasn't looking too far ahead to a showdown with Six Rivers East Conference leading Pecatonica.
Every player in Argyle's lineup had at least one hit and the Orioles pounded out 16 hits in rolling to a 19-4 win over Monticello-Albany in five innings Monday.
Argyle sophomore Travis Dammen went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and sophomore Gavin Johnson was 3-for-4 with two RBIs to lead the Orioles. B.J. Penniston went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, senior Brent Ritschard finished 2-for-4 with five steals and senior Josh Lehman was 2-for-4.
Argyle (6-6, 5-2 Six Rivers East) trails Pecatonica (8-3, 5-1 Six Rivers East) by one game in the conference. The two teams meet today in a conference showdown.
"I think we can hit pretty well," Johnson said. "We've got our off nights and our on nights. If we come to play, I think we can play with anyone and score runs like we did tonight. If we play good defense we can play with anyone. We have the pitching and the hitting. We need defense and then we are all there."
Monticello scored one run in the first inning off Argyle junior pitcher Jakob Ploessl. It didn't take the Orioles long to answer. Argyle broke the game open batting around the order erupting for a nine runs in the bottom of the first.
Ritschard reached on an error leading off the first. He then stole second and third base and scored on Monticello junior Corbin Kelley's wild pitch to tie the game at 1. Argyle's Mason Waage and Penniston both walked. Johnson then smoked a two-run double to left to give the Orioles a 3-1 lead. Ploessl helped his own cause lining a two-run single to center to extend the Orioles' lead to 5-1. The other big blow in the inning came on Waage's three-run double to center that gave the Orioles an 8-1 lead. Penniston also had an RBI single to stake Argyle to a 9-1 lead.
"I told them when they came in we had to get some runs here and get the momentum back," Argyle coach Jeff Solberg said. "We got some big two-out hits and stole some bases on the base paths. We were aggressive and the ball just fell for us tonight. I think from there a pitcher's confidence can grow knowing he doesn't have to be too nervous about anything out there going on with a big lead like that. It just makes the pitcher kind of settle down a little bit."
Monticello sophomore Devin Holtz went 2-for-3 with three RBIs to lead the Ponies. Freshman Luke Johnson finished 2-for-3 at the plate and senior Travis McCoy was 2-for-4.
The Ponies were plagued by four errors. Ploessl pitched four innings and gave up four earned runs on nine hits to get the win for the Orioles. He struck out one and walked two. With Argyle jumping out to an eight-run lead, that gave him all the run support he needed.
"That's huge," Johnson said of the nine-run first inning. "If you are pitching with an eight-run lead after the first inning you will feel like you are on the top of the world and the team has your back."
The Orioles sealed the victory batting around the order scoring eight runs in the fourth. Dammen had two clutch hits in the inning - an RBI double and a two-run single. The other big hits in the inning came on Ritschard and Penniston's RBI singles.
"The way we have been hitting lately has definitely been carrying over game to game," Solberg said. "The guys are getting more confidence."
The Orioles had four errors.
"It's just too many when we get into a big game like tomorrow night," Solberg said referencing Argyle hosting Pecatonica in a Six Rivers East Conference showdown today. "Defensively, we have been having too many errors. As long as we start fielding, I think we will be a tough team to beat."
Every player in Argyle's lineup had at least one hit and the Orioles pounded out 16 hits in rolling to a 19-4 win over Monticello-Albany in five innings Monday.
Argyle sophomore Travis Dammen went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and sophomore Gavin Johnson was 3-for-4 with two RBIs to lead the Orioles. B.J. Penniston went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, senior Brent Ritschard finished 2-for-4 with five steals and senior Josh Lehman was 2-for-4.
Argyle (6-6, 5-2 Six Rivers East) trails Pecatonica (8-3, 5-1 Six Rivers East) by one game in the conference. The two teams meet today in a conference showdown.
"I think we can hit pretty well," Johnson said. "We've got our off nights and our on nights. If we come to play, I think we can play with anyone and score runs like we did tonight. If we play good defense we can play with anyone. We have the pitching and the hitting. We need defense and then we are all there."
Monticello scored one run in the first inning off Argyle junior pitcher Jakob Ploessl. It didn't take the Orioles long to answer. Argyle broke the game open batting around the order erupting for a nine runs in the bottom of the first.
Ritschard reached on an error leading off the first. He then stole second and third base and scored on Monticello junior Corbin Kelley's wild pitch to tie the game at 1. Argyle's Mason Waage and Penniston both walked. Johnson then smoked a two-run double to left to give the Orioles a 3-1 lead. Ploessl helped his own cause lining a two-run single to center to extend the Orioles' lead to 5-1. The other big blow in the inning came on Waage's three-run double to center that gave the Orioles an 8-1 lead. Penniston also had an RBI single to stake Argyle to a 9-1 lead.
"I told them when they came in we had to get some runs here and get the momentum back," Argyle coach Jeff Solberg said. "We got some big two-out hits and stole some bases on the base paths. We were aggressive and the ball just fell for us tonight. I think from there a pitcher's confidence can grow knowing he doesn't have to be too nervous about anything out there going on with a big lead like that. It just makes the pitcher kind of settle down a little bit."
Monticello sophomore Devin Holtz went 2-for-3 with three RBIs to lead the Ponies. Freshman Luke Johnson finished 2-for-3 at the plate and senior Travis McCoy was 2-for-4.
The Ponies were plagued by four errors. Ploessl pitched four innings and gave up four earned runs on nine hits to get the win for the Orioles. He struck out one and walked two. With Argyle jumping out to an eight-run lead, that gave him all the run support he needed.
"That's huge," Johnson said of the nine-run first inning. "If you are pitching with an eight-run lead after the first inning you will feel like you are on the top of the world and the team has your back."
The Orioles sealed the victory batting around the order scoring eight runs in the fourth. Dammen had two clutch hits in the inning - an RBI double and a two-run single. The other big hits in the inning came on Ritschard and Penniston's RBI singles.
"The way we have been hitting lately has definitely been carrying over game to game," Solberg said. "The guys are getting more confidence."
The Orioles had four errors.
"It's just too many when we get into a big game like tomorrow night," Solberg said referencing Argyle hosting Pecatonica in a Six Rivers East Conference showdown today. "Defensively, we have been having too many errors. As long as we start fielding, I think we will be a tough team to beat."
