Colfax baseball shuts out GC for second win

by Samuel Ripp

COLFAX — The Colfax “Vikings” baseball team picked up just it second win of the season at home Thursday, May 19 but did it in impressive fashion.

Colfax dispatched Glenwood City in six innings, shutting out the Hilltoppers 10-0. The win improved the Vikings to 2-9 and 2-11.

Victories have been hard to come by for the Vikings this season but when they have won, it has been in dominating fashion.

Much like when Colfax dumped Boyceville 11-5 earlier this season for it’s first win behind the complete-game effort of senior hurler Jarrod Rudi, pitching again led the way to a Vikings’ victory over the Hilltoppers.

This time around Colfax sophomore Nate Polden threw the complete-game shutout. Polden allowed only three hits in the contest. He struck out nine Glenwood City batters and walked one to take the victory.

The Vikings got off to a fast start as they scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning as the first five Colfax batters reached base.

Colfax would add to their lead in the second inning. Brady Simonson led off the inning with a triple and came home to score on a RBI sacrifice fly by senior Zach Meyer.

Then in the bottom of the fourth inning, Simonson found his way back on base  and scored along with Meyer to put two more Vikings’ runs on the scoreboard.

Colfax wasn’t quite finished as it added two more runs in the fifth and sixth innings to bring the game to a conclusion after six.

Colfax hitters collected eleven hits and drew six walks off Glenwood City pitching. Seniors Brady Simonson and Ben Christianson along with sophomore Brett Schindler had a pair of hits while Mitch Kiekhafer, Nate Polden, Andrew Harmon, Jarrod Rudi and Zach Meyer each collected a hit.

Out of the ten runs that Colfax was able to push across the plate, seven of them came off of an RBI. Adding to their season totals were Simonson, Schindler, Rudi, Meyer with two and Christianson with a pair.

Colfax played a very clean game and hit the ball very well, Head Coach Kirk Secraw is happy and confident in his hitters.

“We can hit with the best teams in the conference,” said Secraw after the game.

The Vikings wrapped up the regular and conference season schedules on the road at Plum City on Monday, May 23 as they looked for  back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Colfax, seeded sixth, will open the WIAA Division 3 Regional at third-ranked Eau Claire Regis this Thursday, May 26. If the Vikings win, they would travel to second-seeded Spring Valley the following day.