Black Sox blanked by Elk Mound Legion, top Altoona
Playing a pair of home games last week, the Colfax Black Sox baseball team, comprised of players entering grades 9-12, won a 5-3 decision over Altoona June 25, but faced one of the area’s top pitchers for the second time this summer and lost 6-0 to the Elk Mound Legion the next night.
Elk Mound
Nate Spehle who was recently named to the All District second team by the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association for his pitching performance in his senior year of high school, took the mound for the Legion and stayed there for all seven innings. He struck out seven Black Sox and allowed just three hits with one walk for the shut out. His counter part, Sawyer DeMoe also pitched the whole game and whiffed eight batters while giving up five hits and walking three, but three of those hits came in the first inning allowing the Legion to take a 2-0 lead.
Hunter Hermes and Dan Bachman came up with back to back singles in that inning with one out and both moved up a base on a wild pitch before Jon Adank smacked a single up the middle to bring both runners home. In the Black Sox half of the first Jared Rudi singled through the infield but was stranded on a ground out to end the inning.
Nick Woodley drew a walk off DeMoe to start the second and Grant Kjellberg laid down a bunt. With the throw going to second, the runner was safe, putting two on base. A ground ball to second baseman Mason Harmon turned into a tailor made double play however, as he threw to shortstop Brady Simonson who then relayed to Brady Anderson at first. Woodley moved to third on the play but a ground ball to Anderson with DeMoe covering first left Woodley on the bag.
Spehle started and ended the bottom of the second with a strikeout but in between, Trevor Olson slammed a solid hit to left for the Black Sox, then Legion catcher Adank made a nice sliding catch at the fence for an out.
Jon Storing drew a leadoff walk in the third and an infield hit by Hermes and a stolen base put Legion runners on second and third. Bachman drove both of them in on a deep shot to centerfield and Adank brought him home on a ground ball out, allowing the Legion to push their lead to 5-0.
Simonson came up with a two out base hit over second base in the fifth inning for Colfax but a ground out left yet another runner stranded. Elk Mound tacked on their final run in the sixth when Adank came up with another hit, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch after a strikeout by his teammate, and crossed the plate on an infield error. DeMoe bore down and whiffed the final two batters to leave Adank at third.
Spehle put the Black Sox down in order in their final two at bats to put the game away.
Elk Mound 2 0 3 0 0 1 0 – 6
Colfax 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 0
Altoona
(Summer games are played with pretty laid back rules as teams are allowed to bat every player on the team and make free substitutions in the field, therefore stats are not always easy to keep track of). With that said, the Black Sox fell behind 1-0 but knotted the score on a perfectly executed squeeze bunt by Olson, bringing a runner home from third in the second inning.The game was still knotted at 1-1 entering the bottom of the fourth when DeMoe was hit by a pitch and promptly stole second and third before scoring on a ground ball for a one run lead for Colfax. In the sixth inning, DeMoe sent a solo tater over the fence in deep left-centerfield to cushion the Black Sox lead. They added more runs when Jacob Steinke singled and moved to third on a double off the bat of Anderson. Logan Mittelstadt brought them both home on a two base hit and Mittelstadt scored the final Black Sox run on a hit though the infield.
Mittelstadt earned the win, pitching seven innings giving up seven hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.
Altoona 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 – 3
Colfax 0 1 0 1 0 3 x – 5
Remaining Black Sox schedule:
July 2 at home vs. Chetek 6:15
Jult 9 at home vs. Boyceville 6:15
July 12 at Durand 6:15
July 16 at Altoona 6:00
July 22 at home vs Baldwin-Wooodville 6:15
July 23 at Menomonie vs. Jr. Legion 7:00
Remaining Elk Mound Legion schedule:
July 2 at home vs Altoona 4:00
July 8 at home vs. Prescott 5:30
July 10 at home vs Eau Claire 5:00
July 11 at Chippewa Falls 5:30
July 16 at Menomonie 7:30
July 18 at Hudson 6:00
July 21 at Independence 1:00
July 22-28 Tournament TBA
Altoona
Colfax took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Mittelstadt drew a walk, stole second and went all the way to third on a bad throw, then came home on a perfectly executed bunt by Trevor Olson. Altoona evened the score on a pair of hits and a balk called on pitcher Mittelstadt in the top of the third but catcher Simonson nailed a runner trying to steal third to end the inning without further damage.
Black Sox schedule
July 2 Home vs. Chetek 6:15
July 9 Home vs. Boyceville 6:15
July 12 at Durand 6:15
July 16 at Altoona 6:00
July 22 Home vs. Baldwin-Woodville 6:15
July 23 at Menomonie vs Junior Legion 7:00
All home games are played on the high school field.