North Branch hasn't had much luck against Monticello recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Vikings will take on the Magic at 4:30 p.m. North Branch has given up an average of 7.7 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
North Branch came into their game on Tuesday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They lost 11-3 to Princeton. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last six times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
North Branch saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Bo Pederson, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. That run was Pederson's first of the season.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Monticello, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They blew past St. Francis 9-3 on Tuesday.
Carson Deibele made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Monticello is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-2 otherwise. Deibele was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Adam Brenny was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Jeron Schlangen, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one stolen base.
Monticello always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as St. Francis only posted an OBP of .344.
Monticello pushed their record up to 4-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for North Branch, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-7.
North Branch came up short against Monticello in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, falling 7-2. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
