Cubs split home-and-home games with Dyersville

     In a strange bit of scheduling fate, the Monticello Cubs played a pair of semi-pro baseball games last week -- both against the Dyersville Whitehawks.

     Each team collected a win in the unusual home-and-home series, and both results came courtesy of a big inning for the winning team.

     The Cubs (5-7) won the first meeting, July 6 at Monticello’s Dailey Field, largely due to a six-run second inning. Dyersville rallied by scoring over the next four innings to take a 7-6 lead, but Monticello bounced back with a four-run bottom of the sixth to secure the win

     Monticello had just four hits, including a big game for A.J. Reuter, who batted 2-for-3 with three runs batted in. Jon Mootz also had three RBIs. Gavin Cooper scored two runs and had a stolen base.

     Kyle Wright, pitching in relief of starter Parker Kray, worked 2 ⅔ innings to pick up the win, allowing no earned runs and striking out three. Andrew Mescher pitched an inning, and A.J. Reuter pitched the seventh inning to get a save.

     “We took advantage of some walks and ran the bases well,” Monticello player-manager Tanner Felton said. “Parker had a solid start for us, and A.J. Reuter came in to close the game out.”

     The Whitehawks turned the tables in a July 10 game at Commercial Club Park in Dyersville. This time, it was a six-run fifth inning that turned Monticello’s 8-5 lead into an 11-8 edge for the Whitehawks, who went on to win 11-9.

     “They had a huge fifth inning when they had six unearned runs from a couple of errors,” Tanner Felton said.

     For the Cubs, Mescher batted 2-for-4 with a solo home run and a double, while Zach Monk also went 2-for-4 with a double. Michael Reuter was 2-for-5 at the plate.

     “We are starting to score runs and the offense is getting better,” Tanner Felton said. “Andrew Mescher got his bat going on Friday night. He is a big bat in our lineup.”

     Nick Blakesley, Kray, and Ryan Manternach were the Monticello pitchers, with Kray taking the loss.

July 6

Monticello 10, Dyersville 7

AB R H BI

Mescher ss 2 1 0 0

Mootz lf  4 1 0 3

Felton, Ta. 3b 2 1 0 0

Reuter, A. 1b 3 1 2 3

Felton, Ty. C 2 1 0 0

Holmes rf 3 1 1 1

Wright lf 3 0 1 1

Cooper cf 2 2 0 0

Monk, Z. 2b 0 2 0 0

TOTALS 21    10 4 8

Dyersville 002 311 0  --                          7    7   2    

Monticello 060 004 x  --  10    4 2

SB -- Cooper.

Pitcher        IP  H   R   ER  BB   SO

Kray                   3   4    2     2     1      4

Wright (W, 1-3) 2.2  2    2     0     2      3

Mescher                            .1   1    3     3     3      0

Reuter, A. (S, 2) 1   0    0     0     0      1

TOTALS            7    7    7     5     6      8   

July 10

Dyersville 11, Monticello 9

AB R H BI

Mescher ss 4 3 2 1

Reuter, M. c 5 2 2 0

Felton, Ta. 3b 3 1 1 1

Reuter, A. 1b 2 0 0 0

Holmes rf 1 0 0 2

Felton, Ty. Dh 2 0 0 1

Blakesley p 0 0 0 0

Mootz lf  3 1 0 0

Cooper cf 4 0 0 0

Monk, Z. 2b 4 2 2 0

TOTALS 28     9 7 7

Monticello  102 410 1  --                        9    7   5    

Dyersville 202 160 x  --  11  10 1

HR -- Mescher.

2B -- Z. Monk, Mescher.

SB -- Mescher.

Pitcher           IP  H   R   ER  BB   SO

Blakesley           4   6    5     2     3      4

Kray (L, 1-4)                       .1   4    6     0     0      1

Manternach, R. 1.2 0    0     0     1      2

TOTALS            6   10  11    2     4      7