Tough foes help Monti prepare for districts
To prepare for the district tournament, the Monticello High School baseball team faced some of its strongest competition of the season in the final week of the regular season.
Those included a 6-1 win at Alburnett July 3, a 2-1 home win over Clayton Ridge/Central – the Panthers’ district semifinal opponent – and a 2-0 loss to the top-ranked Class 1A team, North Linn.
Monticello learned on Saturday, July 8 that it was going to open district play with a semifinal game against Clayton Ridge/Central July 11 in Dyersville. The winner will play either Dyersville Beckman or Waukon on Saturday, July 15, also in Dyersville.
Monticello’s 2-1 record last week – all non-conference games – gave it a season mark of 21-6. The first of those, the win at Alburnett July 3, saw the Panthers take control with a four-run first inning. That frame included a run scoring on an error, an RBI single by Andrew Mescher, and bases loaded walks to Jon Mootz and Tyler Hospodarsky.
The Panthers added a run in the second on an RBI double by Ryan Manternach, and one in the sixth on an RBI single by Jacob Manternach.
Mescher and Hospodarsky combined on a three-hitter, with Mescher pitching five innings and getting the win.
Runs were hard to come by in the final home game of the season, July 5 against Clayton Ridge/Central. The Panthers scored in the third when Kyle Sperfslage hit into a double play with the bases loaded, scoring Alex Kremer.
The eventual winning run came in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Sperfslage.
“We played well defensively but struggled to click on offense,” Monticello coach Josh Soper said. “Kyle pitched well and was able to give us a couple of quality at bats to score runs. Alex Kremer had a good game, scoring both runs.”
Sperfslage pitched five innings of three-hit ball, striking out six and walking none, to get the win. The game was called in the top of the sixth inning with a heavy thunderstorm moving in.
North Linn pitcher Ryan Miller held the Panthers to five hits in the July 6 game in Troy Mills. Gavin Cooper batted 2-for-4 with two doubles, and Jon Mootz doubled, but Monticello couldn’t get on the scoreboard. Ryan Manternach pitched five innings and took the loss, with Hospodarsky working the sixth.
“We played well,” Soper said. “We just needed a hit or two with runners in scoring position and this would have been a different outcome.
“The kids had a solid regular season. We are excited for the postseason play to begin.”
July 3
Monticello 6, Alburnett 1
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Cooper cf 5 0 0 0
Sperfslage ss 3 3 2 0
Manternach, J. c 4 1 2 1
Mescher p 3 1 2 1
Manternach, R. 3b 4 1 3 1
Martensen 1b 3 0 0 0
Mootz dh 3 0 1 1
Kremer rf 3 0 1 0
Hospodarsky 2b 2 0 0 1
Nealson lf 0 0 0 0
Arduser cr 0 0 0 0
Totals 30 6 11 5
Monticello 410 001 0 – 6 11 1
Alburnett 000 000 1 – 1 3 2
3B – Sperfslage.
2B – R. Manternach.
SB – Sperfslage 2, J. Manternach 2,
Mescher, R. Manternach.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Mescher (W, 7-2) 5 1 0 0 4 5
Hospodarsky 2 2 1 0 0 0
Totals 7 3 1 0 4 5
July 5
Monticello 2, Clayton Ridge 1
(five innings, rain-shortened)
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Cooper cf 2 0 1 0
Sperfslage p 1 0 0 2
Manternach, J. c 3 0 0 0
Manternach, R. 3b 2 0 0 0
Mescher ss 1 0 0 0
Martensen 1b 1 0 0 0
Mootz dh 2 0 0 0
Kremer rf 1 2 1 0
Hospodarsky 2b 0 0 0 0
Nealson lf 0 0 0 0
Totals 13 2 2 2
Clayton Ridge 100 00 – 1 3 1
Monticello 001 01 – 2 2 1
SB – Mescher.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Sperfslage (W, 3-1) 5 3 1 1 0 6
Totals 5 3 1 1 0 6
July 6
North Linn 2, Monticello 0
MONTICELLO AB R H BI
Cooper cf 4 0 2 0
Sperfslage 3b 4 0 1 0
Manternach, J. c 3 0 1 0
Manternach, R. p 2 0 0 0
Mescher ss 2 0 0 0
Martensen 1b 3 0 0 0
Mootz dh 3 0 1 0
Arduser lf 2 0 0 0
Kremer rf 1 0 0 0
Hospodarsky 2b 3 0 0 0
Nealson lf 0 0 0 0
Totals 27 0 5 0
Monticello 000 000 0 – 0 5 0
North Linn 100 010 x – 2 6 0
2B – Cooper 2, Mootz.
SB – Cooper, J. Manternach.
Monticello IP H R ER BB SO
Mntrnch., R. (L, 3-2) 5 4 2 1 5 3
Hospodarsky 1 0 0 0 0 1
Totals 6 4 2 1 5 4