Patient Mounders win regional baseball crown
RUN SCORED — Elk Mound sophomore Chase Rhude (#3) safely slid under the tag of Boyceville’s all-conference catcher Trett Joles to score a run in the Mounders’ 14-12 come-from-behind win in last Tuesday’s Division 3 regional semifinal baseball contest played in Boyceville. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Webster’s Dictionary defines patience as the capacity, habit or fact of being steadfast despite opposition, difficulty or adversity.
It might also want to consider adding the 2018 Elk Mound baseball team to the definition.
The Mounders demonstrated a tremendous amount of the aforementioned attribute on their way to winning the WIAA Division 3 regional championship last week.
Even when Elk Mound found itself trailing Dunn-St. Croix conference co-champion Boyceville by eight runs early in last Tuesday’s regional semifinal on the Bulldogs’ home field, the Mounders never panicked or rushed their game. Instead they methodically, inning-by-inning and run-by-run, came back to beat the Bulldogs in extra innings and advance to the regional title game with a 14-12, eight-inning victory.
ELK MOUND pitcher Blaze Todd prepared to throw the ball to first base for an out in the Mounders’ 14-12 win at Boyceville on May 29. Todd pitched five innings inthe game and allowed just four hits and three runs. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
When it was supposed to take on top-seeded Eau Claire Regis the following day in the regional championship, Elk Mound had to patiently wait an extra day as rain storms washed out Wednesday’s planned, late-afternoon game time. It wasn’t until 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 31 that Elk Mound finally played Regis in Eau Claire.
The unanticipated day’s respite seemed to do the Mounders good especially after using three pitchers in Boyceville.
Staff ace Ethan Kjellberg, who tossed the final two innings against the Bulldogs, was well rested and in fine form as he allowed the Ramblers just three hits and a single run over seven inning of mound work and led Elk Mound to a 10-1 wrecking of Regis and a D3 regional baseball championship.
The Mounders, who are on a six-game winning streak, took their 11-6 mark up against Dunn-St. Croix foe Mondovi in yesterday afternoon’s sectional semifinal contest at Casper Park in Chippewa Falls. Mondovi beat Elk Mound 2-0 in their only match-up this season which was played back on May 8 at Elk Mound’s Lions Park.
The winner will face the victor of the other semifinal contest between Webster and Chequamegon in the championship game which was scheduled for 4 p.m. yesterday at Casper Park. The winner will claim the sectional title and a berth in next Tuesday’s, June 12, state semifinal in Grand Chute.
Boyceville
Senior Dylan Curry single to open the Mounders’ D3 regional semifinal contest against the Bulldogs in Boyceville May 29.
Curry eventually scored to give the visiting Mounders an early 1-0 lead.
It was short lived, however, as the Bulldogs chased starter Blake Rosenthal from the mound with a nine-run second inning.
Boyceville collected four hits and four bases on balls and used two Elk Mound errors to turn in the big inning.
But the Mounders did not wilt despite their sudden eight-run deficit.
Instead, the black and orange went to work whittling away at the negative 9-1 margin.
Blaze Todd took over the throwing duties in the second and went until the seventh. In that time, the sophomore hurler allowed just three runs on four hits
In the top of the third frame, Elk Mound took back four runs thanks to a pair of hit batsmen and three hits including an Ethan Kjellberg double.
The Mounders closed to within two scores with a pair of runs in the fifth that made it a 9-7 game on hits by Kjellberg and Dylan Black.
A four-run sixth would not only erase the Mounders deficit but give them a once improbable 11-9 lead.
But the Bulldogs scored a pair of runs in their half of the inning to knot the game at 11 as it headed into the final inning of regulation play.
Curry reached base to open the Elk Mound seventh, stole third and eventually scored a run for a 12-11 Mounders’ advantage.
Kjellberg finally made his mound debut in the bottom of the seventh in hope that he could slam the door on another Bulldogs comeback.
But Brendan Sempf reached on fielder’s choice in the inning and scored the tying run for Boyceville to force extra innings.
Senior Dakota Bedell and freshman Nate Lew both reached base to open the eighth inning. Two costly errors on the Bulldogs extended the Mounders at bats which allowed both Bedell and Lew to score runs and give Elk Mound a 14-12 lead.
This time, Kjellberg did not let the Bulldogs off the hook, retiring three of the four Boyceville batters he faced in the eighth to get the victory.
The Mounders also beat Boyceville in eight innings in last year’s regional title game.
Elk Mound out hit Boyceville 13 to 11 with Kjellberg and Rosenthal collecting three hits apiece. Chase Rhude and Dylan Black had two hits. Kjellberg, Bedell and Black each finished with three RBI.
CONTACT — Elk Mound senior Dakota Bedell hit this ball for a single in the Mounders’ 14-12, eight-inning win over the Bulldogs in last Tuesday’s Division 3 regional semifinal game in Boyceville. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Regis
Senior Ethan Kjellberg handcuffed Eau Claire Regis batters, and allowed the host Ramblers’ potent offense just a single run on three hits in a strong seven-inning performance in the May 31 game that led Elk Mound a 10-1 win and its second straight WIAA D3 regional title.
The Mounders, who finished with 11 hits, blew open the evening contest played in Eau Claire with six runs in the second inning after taking a one-run lead in the opening frame.
Elk Mound added another single score in the fourth and plated two more runs in the fifth.
Regis’ lone run came in the bottom of the fifth.
Kjellerg added four strike outs and had just one walk in the complete-game win. He also had a pair of hits and four RBI in just three plate appearances.
Chase Rhude and Dylan Black also had two hits. Blake Rosenthal, Kole Ploeckelman, Dylan Curry, Nate Lew and Dakota Bedell each had a single in the victory.