Seven-game week has mixed results for Monti
Monticello leftfielder Aspen Gillmore fires the ball to the infield during the home doubleheader against Iowa City Liberty June 12. (Photos by Pete Temple)
Taylor McDonald (2) puts the ball in play for Monticello against Iowa City Liberty.
Whether it was the competition, the increasingly hot weather, or the rigors of playing seven games in six days, the Monticello High School softball team had much more success in the early part of last week than in the late part.
The Panthers went 3-4 for the week, winning three of their first four but then losing three in a row. From a River Valley Conference standpoint, Monti went 2-1 to up their league mark to 6-4. Overall, the Panthers came out of the week 7-10 for the season.
“Right now our biggest thing is inconsistency at all levels of the game,” Monticello coach Bret McDonald said. “We just need to be more consistent.
“It’s easy to play every day when you’re winning, but if you’re not, and you’re not hitting the ball well, it can wear on you. In the month of June you don’t get much of a break.”
The week started strong for the Panthers, with a high-scoring doubleheader at Northeast of Goose Lake June 11, in which the Panthers pulled out a sweep of one-run games, 11-10 and 5-4.
“Those were two big, big wins,” coach McDonald said.
The first game was a wild one, with Northeast leading 6-1 after two innings and 10-7 after five, before the Panthers scored two in the top of the sixth and two in the seventh. An RBI double by Taylor McDonald in the seventh tied the game, and Jaelynn Kraus followed with a triple to score McDonald.
Tori McDonald hit a two-out, bases-clearing double in the fifth inning that pulled Monticello to within 8-7.
“That was huge to get us back in the game,” the coach said.
The Panthers weren’t out of the woods, however, until Taylor McDonald made a diving, over-the-shoulder catch near the fence in centerfield for the final out of the game.
Sydney Hansen and Taylor McDonald each had three of the team’s 16 hits. Caitlyn Cruise was the winning pitcher.
The second game went eight innings, after Northeast scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to tie it 4-4. In the eighth, DeLainy Fellinger’s bases-loaded walk forced in Lauren Ries with the eventual winning run. Kraus pitched the last 2 1/3 innings to get the win.
Monticello had another doubleheader the next night, June 12, playing host to non-conference opponent Iowa City Liberty. The Panthers lost the first game 6-2 – Fellinger had two hits – and won the second one 7-1.
Sydney Hansen went 3-for-4 with a two-run homer in the second game. Kraus was the winning pitcher.
On June 14, the Panthers traveled to play Iowa City Regina, ranked seventh in Class 2A, and Regina won 9-0. Tori McDonald had Monticello’s only hit.
Next came a tournament at Durant, where the Panthers played two games, losing 10-2 to Davenport North and 3-2 to Cedar Rapids Prairie.
In the first of those games, North scored five runs in the third inning and three in the fourth to get control. Monticello had six hits, including doubles by Reese Cox and Ries.
Monticello led twice in the Prairie game, 1-0 and 2-1, with Taylor McDonald scoring on errors both times. But Prairie tallied twice in the bottom of the third, and the 3-2 lead held up. Taylor McDonald was 2-for-3 with a double. Sydney Hansen went 1-for-3 and stole three bases.
Kraus pitched a three-hitter, but took the loss.
“Against Prairie we played pretty well,” coach McDonald said. “Jaelynn pitched a nice game. We couldn’t quite get that timely hit.”
Key home dates
Some big home games are coming up for the Panthers. On June 21, they will play Durant as part of Alzheimer’s Awareness Night. Friday, June 22 against Anamosa is Senior Night, with Panther seniors being honored between the JV and varsity games.
And on Monday, June 25, at home against Cascade, the Panthers will have their Pink-Out night for breast cancer awareness.
June 11
Monticello 11, Northeast 10
(first game)
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Hansen, S. 1b 5 2 3 0
McDonald, Ta. cf 4 2 3 1
Kraus ss 4 2 2 2
Ries 2b 4 1 2 1
Gillmore lf 3 1 2 2
Cruise p 3 1 1 0
James 3b 4 1 1 1
Cox rf 3 1 1 0
McDonald, To. c 4 0 1 3
Fellinger rf 1 0 0 0
Totals 35 11 16 10
Monticello 012 042 2 – 11 16 0
Northeast 060 220 0 – 10 16 2
LOB – Northeast 10, Monticello 7.
3B – Kraus.
2B – Ta. McDonald, Ries, To. McDonald,
James.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Cruise (W, 5-4) 7 16 10 10 4 0
Totals 7 16 10 10 4 0
Monticello 5, Northeast 4
(second year)
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Hansen, S. 1b 4 2 1 0
McDonald, Ta. cf 0 0 0 1
Kraus 3b 4 0 2 2
Ries 2b 4 1 1 0
Gillmore lf 4 0 0 0
James rf 4 0 2 0
Cruise p 3 0 0 0
Steiner ph 1 0 0 0
Fellinger c 2 0 0 1
Cox cr 0 1 0 0
McDonald, To. ss 4 1 2 0
Totals 30 5 8 4
Monticello 001 022 11 – 5 8 0
Northeast 000 020 20 – 4 9 2
LOB – Monticello 8, Northeast 6.
2B – James.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Cruise 4 2/3 3 2 2 1 0
Kraus (W, 1-2) 2 1/3 6 2 2 0 3
Totals 7 9 4 4 1 3
June 12
I.C. Liberty 6, Monticello 2
(first game)
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Hansen, S. 1b 4 0 1 0
McDonald, Ta. cf 3 0 0 0
Kraus 3b 3 1 1 0
Ries 2b 3 1 1 0
Gillmore lf 3 0 0 1
James rf 3 0 1 0
Cruise p 3 0 0 1
Fellinger c 3 1 2 0
McDonald, To. ss 3 0 1 0
Totals 28 2 7 2
Iowa City Liberty 301 020 0 – 6 6 2
Monticello 000 200 0 – 2 7 2
LOB – Liberty 7, Monticello 4.
SB – Ries.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Cruise (L, 5-5) 7 6 6 4 4 4
Totals 7 6 6 4 4 4
Monticello 7, I.C. Liberty 1
(second game)
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Hansen, S. 1b 4 1 3 2
McDonald, Ta. cf 3 0 0 0
Kraus p 4 1 2 1
Ries ss 4 1 0 0
Gillmore 2b 4 1 1 1
James 3b 2 0 0 1
Cox rf 3 0 0 0
Fellinger dh 3 1 2 1
McDonald, To. c 1 0 1 1
Hansen, P. cr 0 2 0 0
Cruise lf 0 0 0 0
Totals 28 7 9 7
Iowa City Liberty 000 000 1 – 1 6 1
Monticello 022 102 x – 7 9 1
LOB – Monticello 7, Liberty 5.
HR – S. Hansen.
2B – Kraus, Fellinger.
SB – Ta. McDonald.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Kraus (W, 2-2) 7 4 1 1 1 3
Totals 7 4 1 1 1 3
June 14
I.C. Regina 9, Monticello 0
(six innings)
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Hansen, S. 1b 3 0 0 0
McDonald, Ta. cf 2 0 0 0
Kraus ss 1 0 0 0
Steiner p 1 0 0 0
Ries 2b 2 0 0 0
Gillmore lf 2 0 0 0
James 3b 2 0 0 0
Fellinger rf 2 0 0 0
Cruise p 2 0 0 0
McDonald, To. c 2 0 1 0
Cox cr 0 0 0 0
Totals 19 0 1 0
Monticello 000 000 0 – 0 1 0
Iowa City Regina 103 401 x – 9 10 0
LOB – Regina 8, Monticello 1.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Cruise (L, 5-6) 2 2 1 1 2 3
Steiner 1 3 3 3 3 0
Kraus 3 5 5 5 1 1
Totals 6 10 9 9 6 4
June 16
(at Durant Tournament)
Davenport North 10, Monti 2
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Hansen, S. 1b 3 0 1 0
McDonald, Ta. cf 3 0 0 0
Kraus ss 3 0 0 0
Ries 2b 3 1 1 0
Gillmore lf 3 0 1 1
James 3b 3 0 0 0
Cox rf 3 1 1 0
Cruise p 3 0 1 0
McDonald, To. c 3 0 1 1
Totals 27 2 6 2
Monticello 000 100 1 – 2 6 5
Davenport North 005 310 x – 10 7 1
LOB – Monticello 5, Davenport North 4.
2B – Ries, Cox.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Cruise (L, 5-7) 3 4 5 0 0 1
Kraus 3 3 5 1 0 0
Totals 6 7 10 1 0 1
(at Durant Tournament)
C.R. Prairie 3, Monticello 2
(six innings)
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
McDonald, Ta. cf 3 2 2 0
Gillmore 2b 3 0 0 0
Ries ss 3 0 0 0
Hansen, S. 1b 3 0 1 2
Kraus p 2 0 0 0
McDonald, To. c 3 0 0 0
Cruise lf 2 0 0 0
Fellinger rf 2 0 0 0
James 3b 1 0 0 0
Steiner 3b 1 0 0 0
Totals 23 2 3 2
Monticello 101 000 – 2 3 4
C.R. Prairie 102 00x – 3 3 2
LOB – Cedar Rapids Prairie 6, Monticello 4.
2B – Ta. McDonald.
SB – S. Hansen 3, Ta. McDonald.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Kraus (L, 2-3) 6 3 3 1 2 3
Totals 6 3 3 1 2 3
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