Hilltoppers drop baseball games to Vikings and Wolves
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HOME DELIVERY — The Hilltoppers’ Brady McCarthy delivered a throw to home plate, while teammate Gavin Janson looked on, during a Dunn-St. Croix baseball contest against Colfax May 3. The visiting Vikings bested the Toppers 21-1. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
With games against a pair of fellow winless squads, it looked as if the Glenwood City baseball team would have a solid opportunity to secure its first win of the young season.
Instead, both Colfax and Elmwood/Plum City each picked up their first victories of the 2021 season at the Hilltoppers’ expense.
Glenwood City trailed Colfax just 2-0 through the first three innings when the Vikings visited last Monday, May 3, but the game quickly got out of hand in the final three innings after the Toppers surrendered 19 runs on 14 hits and ten walks in that span to lose 21-1.
The Hilltoppers played much better three days later when they traveled to Plum City to take on the Wolves of Elmwood/Plum City. Glenwood City built a 5-2 advantage thanks to a four-run third inning, but Elmwood/Plum City scored a pair of runs in the sixth and seventh innings to rally for a 6-5 victory.
Now 0-4, Glenwood City welcomed Durand to town Monday evening and will travel to Mondovi this Thursday. The Hilltoppers will return home to host Elk Mound next Monday, May 17.
Colfax
Glenwood City held its own in the first half of their May 3 home conference contest with Colfax.
Colfax collected a pair of runs off two hits in the top of the first to take an early lead.
The game remained 2-0 through three innings but the wheels came off for the Toppers beginning in the fourth frame.
The Vikings plated three runs in the third and another trio of scores in the fourth to open up an 8-0 advantage on seven hits and two walks off Hilltopper’s pitching.
The Vikings kicked open the scoring flood gates in the sixth inning when they earned six more hits and received seven free passes to post 13 runs for a 21-0 lead.
Glenwood City scored its lone run in the bottom of the sixth when Gavin Janson, who had reached on an error, scored on an RBI single by younger brother Max Janson.
In all, the Toppers’ platoon of pitchers which included Gavin Janson, Noah Brite, Marcis DeSmith, and Brady McCarthy allowed the Vikings 17 hits including two doubles and 11 walks.
Glenwood City’s offense didn’t provide much supports as it mustered just two hits, the aforementioned Max Janson single and a third-inning hit by McCarthy.
Elmwood/Plum City
Glenwood City took an early 1-0 lead in Plum City last Thursday when Brady McCarthy opened the game with a lead-off double and scored when Gavin Janson followed with a single.
Then in the top of the third, the Hilltoppers touched home plate four more times to retake the lead at 5-2 after the host Wolves of Elmwood/Plum City had scored twice in their half of the second.
In that third frame, Noah Brite led off with a hit, Max Janson was then walked, and the Toppers’ designed hitter Drew Olson singled. A Wolves error on the play allowed both Brite and Max Janson to score. With two outs, Jackson Halbach delivered a two RBI hits that scored Olson and Aaron Brigham, who had walked.
But the Wolves would rally in the final two innings.
Three hits including a double along with a walk brought home a pair of runs for Elmwood/Plum City in the sixth to trim the Toppers advantage to one run.
Then in their final at bat, the Wolves scored twice more to take the 6-5 win behind three more hits and two more walks.
Max Janson went 2-for-2 for Glenwood City with a run scored while McCarthy, Gavin Janson, Brite, Olson, Brigham, and Halbach each registered a hit. In all the Toppers tallied eight hits.