Apparently, Brandon Ladd has been listening, and he should — he’s got a tailor-made role model guiding him each day.
“I’m a lefty hitter and we’re both about the same size so he really listens — he asks questions all the time,” said Monticello coach Neil Schaffner. “He’s very consistent with his approach so far.”
Ladd, a senior who earned third team All-Jefferson District honors last year, blasted a grand slam Wednesday against Albemarle, helping lift the Mustangs to a 6-2 win over the Patriots.
Ladd’s four-run, opposite-field shot highlighted a big second inning for Monticello that also included a R.J. Davis homerun. Tyler Moneymaker did the heavy lifting on the mound for Monticello as he registered three strikeouts in five innings of work to pick up the win. He then gave way to Ladd for the final two frames, who gave up a walk to start the seventh, but recovered to force a fly out, fielder’s choice and another fly out.
Ladd also had a double on the night.
Both pitchers got a lot of help from a solid defense that turned multiple double plays en route to the victory.
Albemarle struggled at the plate, coming up with just a pair of hits against Moneymaker and Ladd, scratching out two runs with some opportunistic base running and passed balls by the Mustangs. The Patriots’ pitching was strong for the most part, as Albemarle worked in a number of arms in an effort to develop some depth before Commonwealth District play next week. The mistakes in the fifth, however, were costly. Two walks set up the grand slam.
“You’re not going to win many ball games when you give up six but it’s early,” said Albemarle coach Carroll Bickers. “The weather’s good, so it’s a shame we don’t play tomorrow, Friday and Saturday.”
Albemarle lost a number of key players from last year, including Ty Molinaro and Adam Utz, but they do have Josh Sites and Rashad Talley back in the fold.
Monticello, on the other hand, has a much more solid foundation than it had last year with coach Dick Hartranaf retired midway through the season and Schaffner took over. The offseason was kind to the Mustangs, and that work started to pay off against Albemarle.
“They’ve done a good job and they needed to get rewarded for the hard work they’ve put in,” Schaffner said.
Albemarle faces Western Albemarle Friday at home while Monticello participates in a tournament out at Louisa County.
