EM boys pound Panthers, split with Buffaloes

A pair double headers resulted in three wins and the first loss of the season for the Elk Mound baseball team as they overwhelmed St. Croix Central 17-0 and 13-0 May 13 in Hammond, then split a pair of  one run games on their home field against Mondovi, winning the first game 3-2 before falling 2-1 in the second. With two games left against Spring Valley and a couple of non-conference games on the schedule, the Mounders  have claimed the conference title already,which is their fourth one in five years. Receiving the number one seed in the regional tournament, they have a first round bye and will face the winner of the Boyceville-Colfax game on May 28.

St. Croix Central

Garett Phillips not only threw a two hitter to earn the win, he connected for three hits including a pair of homeruns and knocked in eight Mounder runners. Hunter Hermes picked up two doubles in a 3 for 3 performance with two RBI and Alec Winter finished 2 for 4 with one RBI. Leading 6-0, the Mounders came up with 10 runs in the fourth inning to blow the game open.

Phillips struck out eight Panthers with two walks in the five innings.

Elk Mound                 2  4  0  10  1 – 17
St. Croix Central    0  0  0  0  0 – 0

Game 2

The outcome of this game was determined right off the bat—literally-after the Mounders scored 10 runs in the first inning while Nate Spehle and Hunter Dicus combined to throw a two hitter. Hermes and Phillips continued to pound the ball, both batting 3 for 3 as Phillips drove in three runs. Nick Heit, Cole Tyman, Spehle and Dicus all had a multiple hit game with two each as Dicus slammed two homeruns to bring in five runs.

Spehle took the win, pitching three innings and giving up two hits and Dicus struck out all six Panthers he faced.

St. Croix Central   0  0  0  0  0 – 0
Elk Mound              10  1  2  0  X – 13

Mondovi-Game 1

The Mounders jumped ahead 2-0 in the second inning but neither team scored again until the seventh when the Buffaloes knotted it up. In the bottom of the inning, Hunter Kohls scored the winning run on a passed ball for the one run win.

Phillips whiffed 10 Mondovi batters, giving up four hits with two walks for another win. He also led in the hitting department, going 3 for 4 while Winter finished 2 for 3.

Mondovi       0  0  0  0  0  0  2 – 2
Elk Mound   0  2  0  0  0  0  1 – 3

Game 2

Mondovi took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a solo homerun and held on to it until the Mounders scored a run in the third. The Buffaloes came right back with a go ahead run in the bottom of the third and both teams were shut down the rest of the way.

Dicus was dealt the loss after giving up just two hits in three innings with one strikeout and Spehle went two innings, allowing two hits with five Ks. Dicus had the only RBI and was the only Mounder with more then one hit, going 2 for 3 with a double.

Elk Mound     0  0  1  0  0  0  0 – 1
Mondovi          1  0  1  0  0  0  X – 2