Baseball Game Preview: West Branch Bears vs. Monticello Panthers

West Branch is 1-6 against Monticello since June of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Monday. The Bears will head out to challenge the Panthers at 7:00 p.m. The game will give West Branch their first taste of in-conference action this season.

West Branch is headed into Monday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their sixth straight game on Friday. They took a 5-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of Camanche.

Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Monticello took on Maquoketa Valley on Friday. The Panthers won by a run and slipped past the Wildcats 5-4. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Panthers as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.

Monticello picked up their first home win, bumping their record up to 4-5. As for West Branch, their loss dropped their record down to 1-10.

West Branch couldn't quite finish off Monticello in their previous meeting back in June of 2024 and fell 7-5. Can the Bears avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.