Magic
| 04/22/25 vs St. Francis | 9 |
| 04/21/25 @ Anoka | 3 |
| 04/15/25 vs Princeton | 4 |
| 04/11/25 vs Becker | 4 |
| 04/10/25 vs Cambridge-Isanti | 21 |
Monticello has gone 9-1 against North Branch recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Magic will host the Vikings at 4:30 p.m. Monticello is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
Monticello took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on St. Francis with a sharp 9-3 victory.
Carson Deibele was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because Monticello is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, 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. That double marked the first that he has hit this season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Adam Brenny, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI. That triple was his first of the season. 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.
The home team had won the previous five meetings between North Branch and Princeton, and Princeton kept the tradition alive. The Vikings lost 11-3 to the Tigers on Tuesday.
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.
Monticello pushed their record up to 4-2 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for North Branch, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 2-7 record this season.
Monticello was able to grind out a solid win over North Branch in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 7-2. Will the Magic repeat their success, or do the Vikings have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
