Monticello is 0-7 against Pontiac since April of 2018 but things could change on Monday. The Sages will venture away from home to square off against the Indians at 4:30 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Monticello 3.6, Pontiac 2.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Monticello is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 21-0 margin over St. Thomas More on Friday. The Sages might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by eight runs or more this season.
Cassidee Stoffel made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 16 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one triple and two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Isabella Beery, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with six RBI, two triples, and three runs. Those two triples gave her a new career-high. Ashley Stiverson was another key player, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Monticello always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .684. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Pontiac faced Beecher in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. The Indians fell just short of the Bobcats by a score of 3-1. That's two games in a row now that the Indians have lost by exactly two runs.
Elena Krause spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned runs on seven hits and racked up 12 Ks.
At the plate, Pontiac saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was India Mattingly, who went 1-for-3 with one run.
Monticello is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That lines up perfectly with their 16-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Pontiac, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 12-5.
