Panthers stay competitive in winning two, losing two
Panther Caleb Gillmore applies the tag in a close play at the plate versus Durant. (Photo by Pete Temple)
Blaine Brighton follows through on a pitch for Monticello in the June 30 game at Anamosa. (Photo courtesy of Daryl Schepanski, Anamosa Journal-Eureka)
Monticello had one lopsided win and three other competitive high school baseball games in a week in which the Panthers went 2-2, moving their record to 4-5 for the season.
“In the last two weeks, we’ve been really coming on,” Monticello coach Kolby Harms said. “Our pitching has been really good, and so has the defense, for the most part. I think we can get way better at the plate still.”
The Panthers bounced back from a tough 4-3 home loss to Durant June 29 by beating Anamosa 6-4 June 30 at Anamosa, and Tipton 9-2 July 2 at Tipton. That was followed by a 4-1 home loss to West Liberty July 3.
Monticello took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning of the game against Durant, but gave up four runs in the top of the fourth, and couldn’t get the equalizer the rest of the way.
Grahm Schneiter was the starting pitcher, working 3 2/3 innings and ultimately taking the loss. Jeff Carlson finished the game in relief.
The Panthers had four hits, all singles, by Caleb Sauser, Tate Petersen, Preston Ries and Schneiter.
“We had one bad inning,” Harms said. “The defense didn’t execute some things, and that was the difference.”
Monticello relied on a pair of eighth-grade pitchers to avenge an earlier loss to Anamosa, this time beating the Blue Raiders 6-4 June 30.
Blaine Brighton started the game and pitched four innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits, and striking out four, to earn his first career varsity win. Ries then pitched 2 2/3 innings, giving up three hits and allowing one run.
Harms said the encouragement from the older players to the young pitchers made a difference.
“Our older kids took it as a challenge,” Harms said. “I didn’t have to say much in that game.”
After Monticello led 6-2, Anamosa scored one run in the sixth and one in the seventh to cut the margin to two, before Dylan Roher came in to close the door, getting the final out and a save.
Meanwhile, the Panther offense totaled nine hits. Brady Cleeton was 2-for-3 with a double. Sauser hit a triple, Connor Lambert had a double, and Tate Petersen had two of the team’s seven stolen bases.
At Tipton Thursday, the Panthers took command with a four-run third inning to lead 5-1, and broke the game open from there. This time Monticello had 14 hits, led by Sauser, who was 3-for-3 with a triple and four runs scored.
Ries was 2-for-5 with three RBIs, and Justin Recker went 2-for-4. Roher pitched the first six innings to get the win, giving up two hits and striking out five. Carlson pitched the seventh inning.
“Caleb sure came alive at the plate,” Harms said. “And Dylan kept them in check.”
The Panthers returned to Dailey Field in Monticello for Friday night’s game against West Liberty. Despite a strong pitching performance from Sauser, allowing two earned runs and striking out eight in seven innings, Monticello lost 4-1.
“We had plenty of chances, but we just couldn’t get that timely hit,” Harms said.
Sauser and Ries both went 2-for-4 at the plate.
District pairings
Announced
District baseball pairings for Class 1A and 2A have now been posted by the Iowa High School Athletic Association. Monticello gets a first round bye, and will play Cascade in a semifinal game July 14 at 4:30 p.m., in Dyersville.
June 29
Durant 4, Monticello 3
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Sauser ss 2 1 1 0
Petersen 2b 3 1 1 1
Luensman cf 3 0 0 0
Recker 3b 3 0 0 0
Ries lf 3 0 1 0
Carlson 1b 3 0 0 0
Cleeton dh 3 0 0 0
Gillmore c 0 0 0 0
Schneiter p 1 0 1 0
Roher 3b 2 1 0 0
Lambert rf 2 0 0 0
Totals 25 3 4 1
Durant 000 400 0 – 4 8 3
Monticello 003 000 0 – 3 4 2
LOB – Durant 12, Monticello 2.
SB – Sauser 2, Ries, Roher.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Schneiter (L, 0-1) 32/3 6 4 2 2 5
Carlson 31/3 2 0 0 2 2
Total 7 8 4 2 4 7
June 30
Monticello 6, Anamosa 4
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Sauser ss 4 2 1 0
Petersen 2b 3 1 1 1
Ries lf 4 1 1 1
Recker 3b 4 1 1 1
Carlson 1b 4 0 1 0
Cleeton dh 3 0 2 1
Brighton p 0 0 0 0
Roher p 0 0 0 0
Jesenovec pr 0 0 0 0
Gillmore c 4 0 1 2
Sampson cr 0 0 0 0
Luensman cf 3 0 0 0
Schneiter ph 0 0 0 0
Lambert rf 3 1 1 0
Totals 32 6 9 6
Monticello 003 102 0 – 6 9 1
Anamosa 100 101 1 – 4 5 3
LOB – Monticello 9, Anamosa 7.
3B – Sauser.
2B – Cleeton, Lambert.
SB – Petersen 2, Sauser, Ries, Recker,
Luensman, Lambert.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Brighton (W, 1-0) 4 2 2 1 4 4
Ries 22/3 3 1 1 2 0
Roher (S, 1) 1/3 0 0 0 0 1
Total 7 5 3 2 6 5
July 2
Monticello 9, Tipton 2
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Sauser ss 3 4 3 0
Petersen 2b 3 2 1 0
Ries lf 5 1 2 3
Cleeton dh 4 0 0 0
Luensman cf 0 0 0 0
Carlson 1b 3 0 1 0
Jesenovec pr 0 1 0 0
Recker 3b 4 0 2 0
Gillmore c 3 0 0 1
Sampson cr 0 0 0 0
Schneiter ph 1 0 0 0
Roher p 2 0 0 1
Lambert rf 4 1 1 0
Totals 32 9 14 7
Monticello 104 103 0 – 9 14 1
Tipton 011 000 0 – 2 3 7
LOB – Monticello 9, Tipton 5.
3B – Sauser.
2B – Lambert.
SB – Sauser 2, Jesenovec 2, Petersen.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Roher (W, 1-2) 6 2 2 1 2 5
Carlson 1 1 0 0 1 2
Total 7 3 2 1 3 7
July 3
West Liberty 4, Monticello 1
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Sauser p 4 2 2 1
Petersen ss 3 0 0 0
Ries lf 4 2 2 0
Cleeton dh 4 0 0 0
Gillmore c 0 0 0 0
Carlson 1b 2 0 0 0
Recker 3b 3 0 0 0
Roher rf 3 1 1 1
Luensman cf 3 0 1 0
Lambert 2b 2 0 0 0
Totals 28 1 6 1
West Liberty 200 100 1 – 4 14 2
Monticello 010 000 0 – 1 6 1
LOB – Monticello 12, West Liberty 6.
SB – Petersen.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Sauser (L, 1-1) 7 8 4 2 1 8
Total 7 8 4 2 1 8
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