Softball Game Preview: Johnson Creek Bluejays vs. Monticello Ponies

The Johnson Creek Bluejays will venture away from home to take on the Monticello Ponies at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.

Monticello will be up against a hot Johnson Creek team: the squad just extended their winning streak to five. The Bluejays never let Williams Bay get on the board and left with a 10-0 win on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Bluejays, who have now won five matchups by six runs or more so far this season.

Not much got past Hailee Walk, who gave up just four hits and racked up seven Ks to keep Williams Bay off the board. Walk has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single walk in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Madi Brigowatz, who went 3-for-5 with three runs, two doubles, and one triple. That's the most doubles she has posted over her last 11 games. Another player making a difference was Lainey Benz, who got on base in two of her five plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Monticello took care of business in their home opener (and then some) on April 4th. They blew past Belleville 11-0. The Ponies have beaten the Wildcats the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Wildcats has come to flipping the script.

Johnson Creek's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-2. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Monticello, their victory bumped their record up to 1-0.

Johnson Creek took their win against Monticello in their previous meeting back in May of 2017 by a conclusive 15-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bluejays since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.