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Co-ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Jesse Sturtz/Hunter Matye
Darlington senior, Shullsburg senior throw no-hitters
S-B Matye
Senior Hunter Matye threw a complete game no-hitterl last Tuesday to lead Shullsburg/Benton to a 40 win over Belmont.

EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.

 

Jesse Sturtz, Sr., P, Darlington baseball

     Senior Jesse Sturtz fired a complete game no-hitter and scored the go-ahead run during Darlington’s two-run fifth inning and the Redbirds held on to defeat visiting Boscobel 3–2 in a Southwestern Wisconsin Activities League game at Otto Ruf Field on Tuesday, April 11.

     “Jesse did a great job working ahead of counts,” said Darlington head coach Brad Holberg. “He established his fastball before counting on his changeup or curveball. I felt he was in control all game.”

      Sturtz (2–1) struck out 10 batters and didn’t allow a hit or a walk in seven innings of work, although the Bulldogs managed a pair of runs thanks to six Darlington errors. Stutz also helped his own cause with a 2-for-3 day at the plate. 

     This Tuesday, Sturtz tossed six scoreless innings in a 14–2 win at Riverdale allowing three hits and striking out 12 batters without a walk, and he went 3-for-5 at plate with a double, a RBI and two runs scored.

     Darlington improved to 3–3 overall and 3–1 in the SWAL with Tuesday’s win over the Chieftains.

 

Hunter Matye, Sr., P, Shullsburg/Benton baseball

     Senior Hunter Matye tossed a complete game no-hitter and struck out five batters while facing the minimum amount of batters in a 4-0 win over Belmont on Tuesday, April 11 and he also drove in the winning run with an RBI fielder’s choice in the top of the first inning. 

     In his first outing of the season, Matye (1–0) needed just 81 batters to pitch his way through seven complete innings. He allowed only two baserunners, one walk and another that reached on an error, in the game. But one was picked off second base and the other was caught stealing. 

     Matye, who helped lead the Shullsburg football and basketball teams to the state championship game this year, is no stranger to magnificent athletic performances.

     Matye was 1-for-3 with a run scored in a 4–3 non-conference win over River Ridge (Ill.)/Scales Mound last Thursday and was 2-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored in a 9–2 Six Rivers Conference victory over River Ridge on Tuesday, April 18.

     The ninth-ranked Miner–Zephyrs (5–1, 3–0 SRC) will host Potosi on Monday and Highland on Tuesday. Their crossover doubleheader at Albany this Friday was called off because the Comets do not have enough players to field a team.

 

 

HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):

Skye Digman, Jr., Platteville girls track & field

     Digman won both the girls’ shot put (37’3.25”) and the discus (125’6”) at Monday’s 14-team Prairie du Chien Relays. Dogma’s first-place finishes netted 20 team points and helped the Platteville girls finish third. Digman also won the shot put (38’0.75”) and discus (116’2”) to led the Hillmen girls to the team title at last Thursday’s Lancaster Invitational.

Emma Lawrence, Jr., Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg girls track

     Benton/Scales Mound/Shullsburg junior Emma Lawrence won three events and placed third in another to lead the Zephyrs' girls’ track and field team to a first-place finish at the 2017 Riverdale Invitational held in Port Byron, Ill., on Thursday, April 13.

Lawrence won both hurdles events, taking the 100-meter high hurdles in 17.11 seconds adding the 300-meter low hurdles in 49.69 seconds, and she teamed up with seniors Paige Murphy and Katie Pingel and freshman Chloe Matthews for a first-place in the 400-meter relay after posting a winning time of 52.29 seconds. She also added a third-place finish in the triple jump (33’7”) for the tri-op.

 

Madison Rizner, Jr., Richland Center girls track and field

     Rizner won the high jump (5’2”), long jump (15’10”) and triple jump (35’6”) to score 30 of Richland Center’s 62 team points at last Thursday’s seven-team Uff Da Invitational in Westby. 

 

Mckenzie Vaassen, Jr., Cuba City girls track and field

     Vaassen won three individual events and added a first-place finish in the 4x100 relay to help the Cubans finish fourth at last Thursday’s 12-team Lancaster Invitational. Vaessen won the 100 (13.25), 200 (26.82) and long jump (16’6.75”) and joined Kaylee Pitzen, Elizabeth Misky and Maizee Splinter in the 4x100 relay (54.28).

 

Emma Wein, So., P, Platteville softball

     The Platteville sophomore fanned a career-high 17 batters in a complete-game three-hit shutout to lead the Hillmen to a 6–0 win over Southwestern last Tuesday. Thursday afternoon she allowed just one run and three out three and also went 3-for-4 with three RBIs to aid her own cause in an 11–1 victory over Dodgeville. This Tuesday, Wein (4–1) was brilliant again, striking out 14 and allowing just one earned run in a 9–2 SWC win over Lancaster. She also went 3-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs.

 

Jordan Williams, Sr., Fennimore softball

     Williams went 7-for-13 with a double, triple, home run and six RBIs to lead the undefeated Golden Eagles (7–0) to five wins in the past week. He went 3-for-5 with an RBI in a 10–5 win at Southwestern last Tuesday. He then went 2-for-3 with a triple and a pair of RBIs in a 10-9 win over River Ridge on Thursday and 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in a 10–6 victory over Mineral Point on Tuesday.