Lady Mounders pound Panthers, split with Cardinals

The Elk Mound softball team managed to get four games in before the snow fell last week, defeating the St. Croix Central Panthers 9-3 and 24-0  April 29 at home, then lost the first game of the doubleheader in extra innings 6-5 at Spring Valley the next day before taking the second game 6-2. (Double headers are all scheduled for five innings instead of seven).

St. Croix Central

The Mounders fell behind 2-0 after a half inning of play in game one after a home run by the Panthers but the lead was erased quickly as they came back with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Three straight walks by the Central pitcher set things up for Amanda Ward as she blasted a double to bring two runners home and Dayna Kotecki picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Mckenna Borofka singled through the infield to bring the fourth run in.

Kaysi Meindel drew a one out walk in the second inning, stole second and came home on a Becca Kopp triple, and Kopp scored on a wild pitch for a 6-2 Mounder lead. Central added a run in the second and the final Mounder runs came in the third when Dayna Kotecki singled, stole second, moved to third on a ground out and was plated on a base hit by Kylynn Simon. Eileen Vasey drew a walk and Maddy Polden slammed a ball over the left fielder’s head for a two run double. Kotecki put the clamps on the Panthers as she allowed just one batter to reach base in the final two innings for the win.

Ward and Polden each knocked in a pair of runs while Meindel and Kopp both scored twice. Kotecki struck out two batters and did not walk a batter to earn the win.

St. Croix Central   2  0  1  0  0 – 3

Elk Mound             4  2  3  0  x – 9

Game two was all over but the cryin’ for Central in the first inning as the Mounders erupted for 13 runs in the top of the inning. Polden set the tone with a lead off triple and Elk Mound used four walks by the Panther pitcher and six hits to bring runs in. Katie Bergh, Kotecki, Simon, Lizzie Schreiber, Polden and Meindel all had RBIs as Simon picked up three of them in two different at bats. Elk Mound added eight more runs in the second and three in the third to end the game early. Polden finished with three hits including two triples and four RBI and Meindel crossed the plate three times.

Kotecki pitched the first inning and struck out two batters for the win, then gave way to Morgan Polden for the final two innings. Morgan gave up two hits with a pair of strikeouts.

Elk Mound            13  8  3 – 24

St. Croix Central    0  0  0 – 0

Spring Valley-Game 1

The Mounders held a 5-2 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning but the Cardinals came up with three runs to knot the score, then scored a run in the sixth to take the win. Getting runners home was the problem for Elk Mound as they left nine runners in scoring position while the Cardinals pounded Kotecki for 11 hits. Kotecki issued three walks with five strikeouts to absorb the loss. Ward picked up two of the Mounders eight hits  while Kotecki came up with a homerun and Kopp knocked in three runs.

Elk Mound       0  1  2  1  1  0 – 5

Spring Valley   0  0  2  0  3  1 – 6

Spring Valley–Game 2

After falling behind 2-0 after a half inning of play, the Mounders came back with three runs of their own and never gave up the lead, scoring two more runs in the third and an insurance run in the fifth while holding the Cardinals scoreless in their last four innings.

Kotecki, nursing a sore arm, started on the mound but was relieved in the second inning by Morgan Polden who gave up just three hits while striking out two Cardinal batters and walking two. Maddy Polden, Kotecki and Meindel all had a pair of hits with Polden and Kotecki both slamming a double.

Elk Mound is now 6-2 and 5-1 in conference play.

Spring Valley  2  0  0  0  0 – 2

Elk Mound      3  0  2  0  1 – 6