SHULLSBURG - The Monticello baseball team will look to get on track next week after Shullsburg-Benton swept a doubleheader against the Ponies Friday, April 11.
Shullsburg-Benton defeated Monticello 10-0 in five innings and 17-3 in the second game of the doubleheader. Shullsburg-Benton's Connor Crotty threw a one-hit shutout in the first game. Crotty also hit a two-run home run in a five-run second inning.
"Benton is a very fundamental team," Monticello coach Scott White said. "They hit the ball well. They look to drive the ball and they do a good job at it."
The lone hit for the Ponies (0-3) came on senior Lucas Marty's bunt single in the third. Crotty struck out 10.
"He (Crotty) threw a lot of fastballs early in the count the first time through the lineup," White said. "They (the Ponies) weren't aggressive enough early in the count. It was just not jumping on those early fastballs.
"In the first game we didn't show up to play. We had guys hanging their heads."
Marty pitched four innings and gave up nine runs on 11 hits and struck out four.
In the second game of the twinbill, the Ponies rallied from a 2-0 deficit by scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Marty and Zach Price singled. Jake Pusel delivered an RBI single and the Ponies scored two runs on a passed ball and on an error to take a short-lived 3-2 lead. Shullsburg-Benton scored three runs in both the third and fourth. They put the game away with a four-run fifth and a five-run sixth.
Pusel pitched three innings and gave up five earned runs on six hits. He struck out three and walked two. Monticello shuffled their defense around in the second game.
"We tried some guys in new positions," White said. "Going forward we need guys who are willing to be coachable. We have a very young team. It's changing their mindsets to have them learn what we and my assistant coach Scott Smice are trying to teach."
Shullsburg-Benton defeated Monticello 10-0 in five innings and 17-3 in the second game of the doubleheader. Shullsburg-Benton's Connor Crotty threw a one-hit shutout in the first game. Crotty also hit a two-run home run in a five-run second inning.
"Benton is a very fundamental team," Monticello coach Scott White said. "They hit the ball well. They look to drive the ball and they do a good job at it."
The lone hit for the Ponies (0-3) came on senior Lucas Marty's bunt single in the third. Crotty struck out 10.
"He (Crotty) threw a lot of fastballs early in the count the first time through the lineup," White said. "They (the Ponies) weren't aggressive enough early in the count. It was just not jumping on those early fastballs.
"In the first game we didn't show up to play. We had guys hanging their heads."
Marty pitched four innings and gave up nine runs on 11 hits and struck out four.
In the second game of the twinbill, the Ponies rallied from a 2-0 deficit by scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Marty and Zach Price singled. Jake Pusel delivered an RBI single and the Ponies scored two runs on a passed ball and on an error to take a short-lived 3-2 lead. Shullsburg-Benton scored three runs in both the third and fourth. They put the game away with a four-run fifth and a five-run sixth.
Pusel pitched three innings and gave up five earned runs on six hits. He struck out three and walked two. Monticello shuffled their defense around in the second game.
"We tried some guys in new positions," White said. "Going forward we need guys who are willing to be coachable. We have a very young team. It's changing their mindsets to have them learn what we and my assistant coach Scott Smice are trying to teach."
