SHULLSBURG – The sixth-ranked Shullsburg/Benton baseball team ran its current winning streak to seven games after posting five victories on the diamond over the past seven days.
    Coming off last Monday’s extra inning victory over Potosi, the Miner-Zephyrs (8-1 overall, 6-0 in Six Rivers) remained on a hot-streak by routing Cassville, 18-0, in a five-inning Six Rivers West contest at home on Tuesday, April 23.
    Already up 2-0, S/B sent 16 batters to the plate in the third inning with 12 coming in to score to up the lead to 14-0.
    Kyle Hoppman, Pierce Russell, Nathan Hendrickson, Wyatt Cook, Collin Hauser and Kyle Majerus each drove in two runs for the co-op. Russell, Hendrickson and Connor Crotty each doubled in the game.
    Crotty and Matt Cook combined on a two-hit shutout.
    Then, at home on Thursday, April 25, the co-op scored the game-tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning and plated the winning run in the bottom of the ninth to slip past Cuba City, 8-7 in a non-conference affair.
    The Miner-Zephyrs held a 6-2 lead going into the sixth inning until the Cubans struck for five runs in the top of the frame to pull ahead 7-6. The hosts answered back with a run in the home-half of the inning when Russell squeezed home Hoppman to deadlock the score at seven all.
    The score remained stuck there until the ninth when Brett Matye got plunked with a pitch with two outs to keep the inning alive.
    W. Cook followed with a smash up the middle on a hit-and-run play. Matye was off and running on the pitch leaving the Cubans with only a play at first, but the throw was off the mark, allowing Matye to head for home and he just beat the throw to the plate to give the hosts the victory.
    Hoppman went 3-for-5 with two runs scored to lead the co-op. Hendrickson also scored twice for the hosts, while Crotty had a two-run single in the first and Matye followed with a two-run double in that same inning.
    The Miner-Zephyrs followed by sweeping a Six Rivers crossover doubleheader at home against Pecatonica, winning game one- the conference game- by a score of 5-1 and running away with a 10-3 decision in five innings in the non-conference game.
    Russell got the co-op going in the opener with a two-run single, and Laine Carver scored two runs for S/B.
    The hosts started off fast again in game two with Crotty and Matye each driving in two runs apiece during a five-run first-inning rally. Hauser singled in a run in the third and another in the fourth to help secure the sweep.
    Hendrickson gave up no earned runs on six hits and two walks and he struck out 10 to earn the win in game one, while M. Cook allowed three runs on four hits and a walk and fanned six to win game two.
    Finally, at Patch Grove, on Monday, April 29, the Miner-Zephyrs remained unbeaten in Six Rivers play after scoring twice in the top of the seventh inning to get by the River Ridge Timberwolves, 4-2, in a SRW affair.
    The scored was knotted at 2-2 going into the seventh when Crotty drilled a double to the gap to drive in Nick Soppe for the go-ahead run. Matye followed with a RBI-single to add a key insurance run.
    M. Cook tossed a scoreless seventh to earn the complete-game win. He gave up two runs on four hits with two walks and six Ks.
    Matye added a RBI-triple and came in to score in the second inning for S/B.
    Shullsburg/Benton hosts Black Hawk in a crossover doubleheader on Friday, May 3 (4:30 p.m.), and stays at home to host Potosi in a key SRW contest on Tuesday, May 7 (5 p.m.).

Cassville………. 000  00 –   0    2  2
Shulls/Bent… 02(12)  4x – 18  14  0
Leading Hitters: Laine Carver 2x4, Wyatt Cook 2x2, Collin Hauser 2x3. 2B- Pierce Russell, Connor Crotty, Nathan Hendrickson.
WP- Connor Crotty. LP- Jensen.

Shulls/Bent… 020  000  2 – 4  7  2
River Ridge… 101  000  0 – 2  4  1
Leading Hitters: Connor Crotty 2x4, Brett Matye 2x4. 3B- Matye. 2B- Crotty.
WP- Matt Cook. LP- White.
At Patch Grove, on Monday, April 29

GAME ONE (conference game)
Pecatonica…. 001  000  0 – 1  6  4
Shulls/Bent… 220  001  x – 5  5  3
Leading Hitters: Laine Carver 2x3. 2B- Wyatt Cook.
WP- Nathan Hendrickson. LP- Schliem.

GAME TWO (non-conference game)
Pecatonica…. 000  30 –   3  4  1
Shulls/Bent… 513  1x – 10  8  1
Leading Hitters: Collin Hauser 2x2. 2B- Brett Matye, Wyatt Cook.
WP- Matt Cook. LP- Norton.
   
Cuba City…… 001  105  000 – 7  6  3
Shulls/Bent… 400  111  001 – 8  8  0
Leading Hitters: Kyle Hoppman 3x5. 2B- Brett Matye.
WP- Connor Crotty. LP- Meckstroth.