Big Lake is 2-8 against Monticello since April of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Hornets will look to defend their home field against the Magic at 4:30 p.m. Big Lake's pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so Monticello's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Big Lake is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Zimmerman 8-1 on Tuesday. The Hornets haven't had any issues with the Thunder recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Jackson LaRoche made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out 13 batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). Those 13 strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles. Those hits were his first of the season.
Cooper Cusick
| 04/15/25 vs Zimmerman | 2 |
| 04/08/25 @ North Branch | 1 |
| 05/17/24 @ Cambridge-Isanti | 1 |
| 05/11/24 @ Little Falls | 1 |
| 05/10/24 @ Aitkin | 1 |
In other batting news, Cooper Cusick was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Conner Lundquist was another key player, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Monticello strolled into their game on Tuesday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They never let Princeton get on the board and left with a 4-0 win.
Like Big Lake, Monticello also got a great game from a two-way player: Dom Marschel. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Marschel was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cale Holthaus, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one double. Another player making a difference was Adam Brenny, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
Monticello pushed their record up to 3-0 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 9.7 runs this season. As for Big Lake, their victory bumped their record up to 3-1.
Big Lake came up short against Monticello in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 6-2. Can the Hornets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
