The Monticello Magic will face off against the Bemidji Lumberjacks at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
On Friday, Monticello needed a bit of extra time to put away Alexandria. They had just enough and edged out the Cardinals 7-5.
Maggie Benton was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Benton was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high.
Kiana Pegues
| 05/15/26 @ Alexandria | 2 |
| 05/08/26 vs Moorhead | 1 |
| 04/11/26 vs Buffalo | 1 |
| 04/09/26 vs Chisago Lakes Area | 1 |
| 05/13/25 @ Chisago Lakes Area | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kiana Pegues, who went 1-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Taylor Marcus was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Monticello kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Bemidji put their dominant pitcher on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Elk River a 1-0 shutout.
Like Monticello, Bemidji also got a great game from a two-way player: Karley LaZella. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. LaZella has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 14 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.
LaZella wasn't the only one making solid contact as six players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Callie Malkowski, who went 3-for-4 with one stolen base.
Monticello pushed their record up to 6-9 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 2.5 runs across that stretch. As for Bemidji, their victory bumped their record up to 11-7.
