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Another crazy week in the wild West
Bel BB Haag hit
BELMONT OUTFIELDER Isaac Haag (#34) belted a home run and a double while driving in three runs and scoring four times in the Braves 18-16 victory over Monticello last Friday. The Braves split the doubleheader with the Ponies.

    Close calls and big scores ruled another wild week in the Six Rivers West for the Shullsburg/Benton and Belmont baseball teams.
    The Miner-Zephyrs (6-4 overall, 4-3 in SRW) posted a 3-1 record during the week, defeating Belmont by a score of 5-3 in a head-to-head meeting at Benton on Tuesday, April 17, destroying Argyle 21-1 and 14-0, at home in a crossover doubleheader on Friday, April 20, and dropping a tough one-run decision to league-leading Potosi, 4-3, at home on Monday, April 23.
    The Braves (2-7, 2-6) bounced back from Tuesday’s loss by splitting a doubleheader with Monticello on Friday evening, falling 3-1 in a pitchers’ duel in the opener but winning an 18-16 shoot-out in the nightcap with some late inning heroics. Then, on Monday, the Braves dropped another close decision to River Ridge, 4-2, to finish the week with a 1-3 record.

SHULLSBURG/BENTON
    Kyle Hoppman went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and a run scored for the Miner-Zephyrs in Tuesday’s win over Belmont, and the junior went 5-for-7 at the plate with a pair of doubles, six runs scored and seven RBI in the sweep over Argyle on Friday.
    Junior Pierce Russell singled in a run against Belmont and drove in six runs against Argyle, while junior Nick Soppe added a RBI-single against Belmont and scored seven runs with five RBI against Argyle.
    Sophomore Connor Crotty slammed a two-run home run in game one on Friday, while freshman Brett Matye went 3-for-5 on the day with four runs and two RBI against Argyle.
    Sophomore Nathan Hendrickson earned the complete-game win over Belmont allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk while striking out 10 Braves, and he also earned the victory in game two against Argyle firing a five-inning one-hit shutout with 10 Ks and zero walks.
    Junior Matt Cook surrendered a solo home run by Argyle’s Alec Treuthardt to open Friday’s twinbill, then allowed just one more hit the rest of game one to notch the W for S/B. Cook walked one and struck out four.
    At Benton, on Monday, April 23, the Six Rivers West-leading Potosi Chieftains remained unbeaten on the season after rallying for two runs in the top of the seventh to overtake the Miner-Zephyrs by a score of 4-3.
    The hosts fought to take a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning when they scored a pair of runs to erase a 2-1 deficit, but the Chieftains came right back with two runs of their own in the top of the seventh then shut down the Miner-Zephyrs in the bottom of the frame to eke out a key victory.
    Crotty, Hendrickson, Jacob Scott and Jesse Turpin each ripped a double for S/B.
    Tyler Udelhoven got the Chieftains out of their jam in the sixth by getting the final out in relief of starter Tim Fritz and he tossed a scoreless seventh to earn the win. Hendrickson suffered the loss after allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks with four strikeouts. 
    Shullsburg/Benton hosts Cuba City in a non-conference game on Thursday, April 26, starting at 5 p.m. The Miner-Zephyrs head to Blanchardville for a doubleheader against Pecatonica on Friday, April 27 (4:30 p.m.); and they return home to host River Ridge on Monday, April 30, and Highland on Tuesday, May 1, in a pair of SRW contests starting at 5 p.m.
   
BELMONT
    Senior Avery Willborn went 2-for-4 with a double, a RBI and a run scored for the Braves in Tuesday’s game with Shullsburg/Benton.
    Sophomore Kyle Van Bogaert locked horns with Monticello’s Lukas Kolasch in a pitchers’ duel in Friday’s opener, but Kolasch and the Ponies came out on top in the end, 3-1.
    Kolasch allowed one run on two hits with seven walks and 14 strikeouts on his way to the win, while Van Bogaert surrendered just one earned run on three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts.
    As tough as the hits and runs were to come by in game one, it got easier for both teams in game two as the Braves and Ponies combined for 34 runs 22 hits in the night.
    Belmont held a 15-6 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning when the guests exploded for 10 runs to take a 16-15 lead.
    Undaunted, the Braves came right back with three runs in the top of the seventh to regain the lead at 18-16. Isaag Haag doubled in Jeremy Richardson to tie the score at 16 all, and David Stoney followed by doubling in Haag for the go-ahead run.
    Then, Lucas Stoney singled in his brother for a key insurance run.
    D. Stoney finished 4-for-6 in game two with a pair of doubles and six RBI, while Haag went 3-for-5 with a home run, a double, three RBI and four runs scored. Jer. Richardson also scored four times for the Braves.
    At Belmont, on Monday evening, River Ridge used a three-run rally in the fifth inning to put away the Braves, 4-2, in a SRW showdown.
    Belmont travels to Mineral Point for a non-conference game on Thursday, April 26, starting at 5 p.m. The Braves return home to host Argyle in a doubleheader on Friday, April 27 (4:30 p.m.), and they have a home game against Highland on Monday, April 30, and an away game against Cassville on Tuesday, May 1, in a pair of SRW contests starting at 5 p.m.

Belmont…..… 000  120  0 - 3  4  1
Shulls/Bent… 002  210  x - 5  9  3
Leading Hitters: Belmont– Avery Willborn 2x4. 2B- Willborn. Shulls/Bent– Jesse Turpin 2x2, Kyle Hoppman 2x3. 2B- Hoppman, Nathan Hendrickson, Matt Cook.
WP- Nathan Hendrickson. LP- Jeremy Richardson.
At Benton, Tuesday, April 17

GAME ONE
Argyle………….. 100  00 -   1    2  7
Shulls/Bent… 245  (10)x - 21  10  1
Leading Hitters: Wyatt Cook 2x2, Brett Matye 2x3, Kyle Hoppman 2x4. HR- Connor Crotty. 2B- Hoppman, Nick Soppe, Pierce Russell.
WP- Matt Cook. LP- Treuthardt.

GAME TWO
Shulls/Bent… 903  02 - 14  15  0
Argyle………. 000  00 -   0    1  4
Leading Hitters: Kyle Hoppman 3x3, Nick Soppe 3x4, Pierce Russell 2x3, Connor Crotty 2x3, Nathan Hendrickson 2x3. 2B- Hoppman, Soppe, Brett Matye, Wyatt Cook.
WP- Nathan Hendrickson. LP- Ploessl.
At Benton, Friday, April 20

Potosi……….. 001  010  2 - 4  8  0
Shulls/Bent… 000  102  0 - 3  6  1
Leading Hitters: 2B- Connor Crotty, Nathan Hendrickson, Jacob Scott, Jesse Turpin.
WP- T. Udelhoven. LP- Nathan Hendrickson.
At Benton, Monday, April 23

GAME ONE
Monticello… 010  110  0 - 3  3  1
Belmont…… 100  000  0 - 1  2  7
Leading Hitters: 2B- Avery Willborn.
WP- L. Kolasch. LP- Kyle Van Bogaert.

GAME TWO
Belmont………. 102  291  3 - 18  15  9
Monticello… 010  14(10)  0 - 16    7  6
Leading Hitters: David Stoney 4x6, Isaac Haag 3x5, Avery Willborn 2x5, Jesse Richardson 2x5, Jeremy Richardson 2x6. HR- I. Haag. 2B- I. Haag, D. Stoney (2).
WP- Jeremy Richardson. LP- Krooks.
At Belmont, Friday, April 20

River Ridge… 001  030  0 - 4  6  3
Belmont…..… 020  000  0 - 2  3  0
Leading Hitters: None.
WP- Redman. LP- Jeremy Richardson.
At Belmont, Monday, April 23