SHULLSBURG/BENTON
    Sophomore Nathan Hendrickson fired a five-inning one-hitter and junior shortstop Pierce Russell drove in four runs and scored twice as Shullsburg/Benton routed Highland, 14-1, to kick off a busy week on the baseball diamond.
    The Miner-Zephyrs (3-3 overall, 1-2 in Six Rivers play) started off the week on fire, posting a 10-run rule Six Rivers West win over the Cardinals at Tyler Field on Tuesday, April 10, and following with an 8-0 non-conference victory over the Southwestern Wildcats in Hazel Green on Thursday, April 12.
    Third baseman Kyle Hoppman led off Tuesday’s game with a solo home run to get the Miner-Zephyrs off to a fast start, and he walked and scored in the second, third and fourth innings to add to the guests’ lead.
    Collin Hauser scored three times and drove in two runs for S/B, while Hendrickson went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI to help his own cause. He picked up the win on the mound after yielding one run on one hit with no walks and five strikeouts.
    Russell and Jacob Scott each added two hits against the Cardinals (4-3, 2-2).
    Hoppman kept it up on the offensive end on Thursday, going 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs driven in and two runs scored for Shullsburg/Benton, while Scott went 2-for-3 with a run and a RBI to help sink the Wildcats (2-6, 1-1 in SWAL).
    Sophomore Connor Crotty earned the win on the mound after tossing six scoreless innings, scattering three hits and eight walks with nine Ks.
    Barneveld (5-0, 3-0) halted Shullsburg/Benton’s winning streak on Friday, April 13, by taking down the Miner-Zephyrs by a score of 8-2 in the opening game of their Six Rivers crossover twinbill.
    The Golden Eagles also held a 5-3 lead in the middle of the fourth inning of the nightcap when it was suspended by darkness. No make-up date has been announced at press time.
    Matt Cook lined a two-run single for the Miner-Zephyrs in the third inning of game one for their only scoring, while Crotty drove in a pair of runs in the first inning of game two to help S/B rally from an early 4-0 deficit.
    Finally, at Benton on Monday, April 16, a three-run home run by Patrick Hatfield in the top of the fourth inning snapped a 6-6 tie and led Warren/Stockton past the Miner-Zephyrs, 10-6, in non-conference action.
    Jesse Turpin and Russell launched solo home runs for the hosts, while Hendrickson and Scott lined two-run singles in the game.
    The Miner-Zephyrs loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Warhawks’ reliever Colton Broshous got a pop-up and a strike out to secure the outcome.
    Russell and Hendrickson each had three hits to lead the hosts’ 11-hit attack, and Scott singled twice in the game.
    Shullsburg/Benton hosts Argyle in a Six Rivers crossover doubleheader at Benton’s Swift Park on Friday, April 20, starting at 4:30 p.m.
    The Miner-Zephyrs stay at home to face Potosi in Benton on Monday, April 23, and they head to Cassville for another SRW contest on Tuesday, April 24. Both games are scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
Shulls/Bent… 246  20 - 14  12  2
Highland….… 000  01 -   1    7  5
Leading Hitters: Pierce Russell 2x2, Kyle Hoppman 3x4, Jacob Scott 2x3. HR- Hoppman. 2B- Russell, Scott.
WP- Nathan Hendrickson. LP- McCollough.

Shulls/Bent… 002  000  0 - 2    5  1
Barneveld..… 500  003  x - 8  11  2
Leading Hitters: 2B- Connor Crotty.
WP- Lee. LP- Matt Cook.

Shulls/Bent……. 100  013  3 - 8  11  1
Southwestern… 000  000  0 - 0    4  4
Leading Hitters: Kyle Hoppman 3x4, Jacob Scott 2x3.
WP- Connor Crotty. LP- Kuhl.

Warren/Stock… 320  401  0 - 10  12  1
Shulls/Bent…… 213  000  0 -   6  11  1
Leading Hitters: Pierce Russell 3x4, Nathan Hendrickson 3x4, Jacob Scott 2x4. HR- Russell, Jesse Turpin.
WP- Broshous. LP- Connor Crotty.

BLACK HAWK
    Senior Mike Walker fanned 13 batters and scored a pair of runs to help the Black Hawk Warriors rally past Argyle, 8-5, in a Six Rivers East baseball game at ASH on Tuesday, April 10.
    The Warriors (2-3, 2-2) trailed 2-0 until scoring three times in the third and three more times in the fifth to open up a 6-2 advantage. The guests tacked on a pair of key insurance runs to lock up the victory.
    Tayler Rupnow, Patrick Mahoney and Aaron Monson each drove in two runs and Cory Rupnow scored twice for the Warriors, who plated seven unearned runs off five errors by Argyle (0-3, 0-3).
    Walker earned the complete-game win after allowing three hits and walking six.
    At Cassville, on Friday, April 13, the Warriors were swept by the host Comets, 3-0 and 6-4, in a Six Rivers Conference crossover doubleheader.
    Garrett Schauff fired a no-hitter and struck out 14 batters while blanking the Warriors in the opener.
    The Warriors out-hit the Comets (2-3, 2-2) in the nightcap, 7-5, but they could never recover after falling into an early 3-0 hole.
    C. Rupnow (3-for-4) and Walker (2-for-4) each doubled for the Warriors in game two.
    Black Hawk hosts Potosi in a Six Rivers crossover doubleheader on Thursday, April 19, starting at 4:30 p.m. The Warriors head to Albany on Monday, April 23, and return home to host Pecatonica on Tuesday, April 17, in SRE action starting at 5 p.m. on both days.
   
Black Hawk… 003  030  2 - 8  6  1
Argyle……….. 200  002  1 - 5  3  5
Leading Hitters: Chris Priebe 2x5.
WP- Mike Walker. LP- Johnson.
   
Black Hawk… 000  000  0 - 0  0  0
Cassville……. 011  010  x - 3  6  2
Leading Hitters: None.
WP- Schauff. LP- Cory Rupnow.
   
Black Hawk… 002  000  2 - 4  7  2
Cassville……. 301  020  x - 6  5  2
Leading Hitters: Cory Rupnow 3x4, Mike Walker 2x4. 2B- C. Rupnow, Walker.
WP- Kartman. LP- Tayler Rupnow.

BELMONT
    Belmont took down Cassville, 9-6, in a Six Rivers West contest at home on Tuesday, April 10, and got swept by Albany, 6-5 and 10-1, in a Six Rivers crossover twinbill at Albany on Friday, April 13.
    Jeremy Richardson picked up the complete-game victory on the mound and went 2-for-3 with a double at the plate to lead the Braves (1-4, 1-3) to their first win of the season over the visiting Comets.
    Avery Willborn finished 2-for-4 with a double and Isaac Haag added two singles in three at-bats for the Braves.
    At Albany on Friday, the duo of Ty Mauerman and Cody Schulz combined to lead the Comets (2-1, 2-1) to a pair of wins over the Braves.
    Mauerman struck out 14 batters to earn the win in game one and Schulz fanned 13 en route to the win in game two. Schulz and Mauerman also combined for eight hits in the twinbill.
    Schulz and Mitchell Kauk each cracked three-run home runs for the Comets.
    The Braves non-conference game against Fennimore scheduled for Thursday, April 12, was postponed due to a lack of players because of the senior trip. No ake-up date had been announced as of presstime.
    Belmont host Monticello in a Six Rivers crossover doubleheader on Friday, April 20, starting at 4:30 p.m. The Braves will host River Ridge on Monday, April 23, and travel to Potosi on Tuesday, April 24, in SRW action. Both games are set to start at 5 p.m.

Cassville… 220  200  0 - 6    8  3
Belmont…. 500  022  x - 9  11  2
Leading Hitters: Jeremy Richardson 2x3, Isaac Haag 2x3, Avery Willborn 2x4. 2B- Willborn, Richardson (2), Haag.
WP- Jeremy Richardson. LP- Kartman.
   
Belmont… 000  203  0 - 5  4  1
Albany….. 301  011  x - 6  6  2
Leading Hitters: 2B- Jeremy Richardson.
WP- Mauerman. LP- Kyle VanBogaert.
   
Albany….. 300  200  5 - 10  9  1
Belmont… 000  001  0 -   1  1  2
Leading Hitters: None.
WP- Schultz. LP- Jeremy Richardson.

DARLINGTON
    After having a tough week on the diamond last week, Darlington opened up fresh on Monday and took down River Valley, 8-6, in a non-conference game at Otto Ruf Field to give first-year head coach Matt Austin his first career varsity victory.
    The Redbirds (1-3, 0-3) opened the scoring with three runs in the home-half of the first inning; and then, after the Blackhawks (4-2) tied the game up in the top of the second, the ‘Birds struck for five more runs in the bottom of the second to grab an 8-3 lead.
    RV plated three more runs in the sixth to trim the deficit to 8-6, but the hosts slammed the door on the rally to notched their first win of the season.
    Senior Brandon Hardyman slammed a home run in the second frame to lead the Redbirds, who won despite getting out-hit, 10-5, on the night.
    Griffin Heinberg earned the win on the mound for the ‘Birds, and he was backed by an errorless defensive effort by his teammates. 
    Darlington was roughed up by Southwestern, 13-3, on Tuesday, April 10, and by Iowa-Grant, 11-1, on Friday, April 13, in a pair of 10-run rule shortened six-inning SWAL games last week.
    The Wildcats plated 11 unanswered runs from the second through fourth innings to erase an early 1-0 Redbird lead. The hosts plated five runs in the second frame, four in the third and two in the fourth to rally past the ‘Birds.
    The Panthers (4-2, 3-0) pulled ahead with five runs in the first inning on Friday, then added two insurance runs in the second, fourth and sixth innings to sink the Redbirds.
    Jason Singer went 2-for-3 to lead the Redbirds against I-G.
    Darlington has a SWAL game at Riverdale (Muscoda) on Thursday, April 19, at 4:30 p.m. The Redbirds have a non-conference game at Galena on Saturday, April 21, starting at 9:30 a.m., and they return home to face Cuba City in a SWAL contest on Tuesday, April 24, starting at 4:30 p.m.

Darlington…….. 100  020 -   3  4  5
Southwestern… 054  211 - 13  9  5
Leading Hitters: None.
WP- Kephart. LP- Tyler Black.

Darlington…. 010  000 -   1    5  0
Iowa-Grant… 520  202 - 11  11  1
Leading Hitters: Jason Singer 2x3.
WP- Welu. LP- Hardyman.

River Valley… 030  030  0 - 6  10  1
Darlington….. 350  000  x - 8    5  0
Leading Hitters: HR- Brandon Hardyman.
WP- Griffin Heinberg. LP- Dilley.