Baseball: Jefferson knocks off Monona Grove, Evansville

COTTAGE GROVE — Jefferson’s summer baseball team scored five first-inning runs en route to a 7-4 win over Monona Grove at Fireman’s Park on Tuesday.

Mason Merz started and earned the decision for Jefferson (4-1), pitching four shutout innings of two-hit ball with three strikeouts and one walk.

Bentley Wagner and Nolan Burzlaff contributed two hits apiece and Cale Schmidt scored twice for the Eagles.

In the first, Wagner scored on a passed ball, Gavin Berge singled home a pair on a line shot single to center before ground outs by Tyler Steinke and Sam Steies also plated runs.

Jefferson tacked on two more runs in the fourth to lead 7-0.

JEFFERSON 7, MONONA GROVE 4

Jefferson 500 200 0 — 7 8 1

Monona Grove 000 013 0 — 4 9 3

Leading hitters — J: Wagner 2x2, Burzlaff 2x3.

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — J: Merz W; 4-2-0-0-1-3, Berge 2-6-4-4-1-2, Schmidt 1-1-0-0-0-0.

MONDAY’S RESULTJEFFERSON — Ben Kalmon pitched six innings of three-hit ball with seven strikeouts as Jefferson’s summer baseball team beat Evansville 7-2 at Fischer Field on Monday.

The Eagles scored single runs in the first, second and third innings, adding a four-run rally in the sixth to break it open.

Kalmon, who earned the decision, allowed two runs (one earned) and walked three, throwing 53 of his 93 pitches for strikes. Sam Steies tossed a scoreless seventh.

In the first, Bentley Wagner singled to lead off the inning and scored on a two-out passed ball. In the second, Finn DeBlare drew a one-out walk and came around on Nolan Burzlaff’s ground out. Tyler Altermatt drew a bases-loaded walk in the third.

After Evansville’s Corvin Klitzman doubled home a run in the top of the sixth to cut the Eagles’ lead to 3-2, Jefferson strung together three hits to produce a crooked number in the bottom half of the sixth.

Burzlaff doubled with one away and scored on Kalmon’s two-run RBI single to left field.

Jefferson has a road doubleheader versus Edgerton on Thursday starting at 5 p.m.

JEFFERSON 7, EVANSVILLE 2

Evansville 000 011 0 — 2 3 2

Jefferson 111 004 x — 7 7 2

Leading hitters — E: Klitzman (2B); J: Burzlaff (2B)

Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) — E: Bakken L; 4-4-3-1-4-2, Harris 2-3-4-4-2-0; J: Kalmon W; 6-3-2-1-3-7, Steies 1-0-0-0-1-1.