The Monticello Billies 2022 baseball season came to an end on Thursday, May 12, in the first round of the 4A State Baseball Championship Tournament held in Nashville. The Billies advanced to the state tournament after a second-place finish in the regional tournament the following week.
Facing the Robinson Senators, the Billies found themselves down early in the contest after the Senators scored two runs in the top of the first inning highlighted by a solo home run by pitcher Jack Cleveland in the second at bat of the contest.
Cleveland was able to get the first two Billie batters out to begin the bottom of the first inning before Cade Pigott got the first Billie hit in the contest, a single to left field. It was the only Monticello base runner of the inning.
Robinson would return in the top of the second inning to score eight runs in the inning with Jackson Ward putting an exclamation on the inning with a two-run home run to give the Senators a 10-0 lead.
Monticello’s John Frost would reach base on an error for the only base runner in the bottom of the second inning for the Billies. Robinson retired the next two Billie batters to end the inning. Robinson would extend the lead in the top of the third after scoring one run for an 11-0 lead.
Monticello would once again have only one base runner in the bottom of the third inning after a single by Dorian Allen to right field.
Robinson added four runs in the top of the fourth inning highlighted by a three-run home run by Peyton Nelson to give the Senators a 15-0 lead.
Monticello’s Frost was the only player to reach base in the bottom of the fourth inning after being hit by a pitch. The Billies would get the Senators out in order in the top of the fifth inning with Robinson getting Monticello out in order in the bottom half of the inning to end the contest with a 15-0 victory.
For the Billies, the team would go 2 for 18 at the plate with Allen and Pigott recording Monticello’s only hits of the contest. John Frost would reach base twice, once on an error and once being hit by a pitch.
Tucker Breedlove would be awarded the loss for the Billies allowing 15 runs on 14 hits with 11 of those runs being earned. Breedlove would throw for 3.2 innings striking out one and walking once. Jagger Hines came in for relief, pitching 1.1 innings allowing zero runs on zero hits.
The Billies finished the season winning their final six conference games. After leading the conference for most of the season, two losses dropped the Billies to third in the conference before Monticello won six consecutive contests to claim the outright conference title.
The Billies ended the season with an overall record of 20-11, was the 4A Region 4 runner-up, 4A State Tournament appearance, and was the 8-4A Conference Champions.
