Hilltopper softball takes sole possession of first with trio of conference victories

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Entering last week, Glenwood City shared the lead with Elmwood/Plum City in the race for the 2021 Dunn-St. Croix softball championship.

Three games and three wins later, the Hilltoppers find themselves all alone atop the conference standings.

Thanks to victories, some a bit nerve-wrecking, over Boyceville, Colfax and those very same Wolves from E/PC has given Glenwood City a two-game advantage over Elk Mound and Mondovi as it heads into the final seven days of the regular season.

The week began with a pair of road wins, an 11-0 shut out of rival Boyceville last Monday, May 24 and a 12-8 win in Colfax the following day. The Hilltoppers then beat Elmwood/Plum City 7-2 at home in an early Friday afternoon matinée to avenge their only conference loss – a 3-1 defeat to the Wolves back on May 6.

The trifecta gave Glenwood City, now ranked fifth in the latest WFSCA/Wissports.net Division 4 coaches’ poll, a 9-1 conference mark and 14-3 overall record as it heads into a crucial final week of conference play. The Hilltoppers began in Durand Tuesday, are at home against Spring Valley today (Wednesday) in a make-up game, before closing out the regular season against the current second-place teams from Elk Mound and Mondovi, who are both 7-2. The local play on the Mounders’ home turf this Friday and return home next Monday, June 7 to host the Lady Buffaloes.

The WIAA playoffs will begin on Wednesday, June 9 but the Hilltoppers will likely receive an opening-round bye as a potential top seed.

Boyceville

Senior pitcher Maddie Oehlke held the Bulldogs at bay throughout the May 24 game played on Boyceville’s new field at Tiffany Creek Elementary. She allowed just three hits and struck out ten, leading the Toppers to a 11-0 whitewashing of their rivals.

“We were able to score throughout the game even when Maddie and Delanie were intentionally walked all four times (they batted),” noted Glenwood City head coach Matthew Schutz.

Despite doing their best to take away Glenwood City’s top offensive weapons, the Bulldogs’ and their junior pitcher Ella Holden surrendered nine hits, including four to freshman Ryeah Oehlke and 11 runs while her older sister Maddie kept the Bulldogs off the base paths and scoreboard.

In five plate appearances, Ryeah finished with three singles and a two-RBI double in the Toppers’ decisive five-run sixth inning that brought the game to an early end.

Ryeah Oehlke singled to open the game and scored for a 1-0 Toppers’ lead.

Glenwood City added three runs in the fourth on back-to-back singles by Avery Rubenzer and Morgan Johnson and consecutive field errors by the Bulldogs.

The Toppers added two more in the fifth and then broke open the game in the sixth when Holden walked four batters and Ryeah Oehlke made her pay with that game-sealing two-RBI double.

Michaela Blaser tallied a pair of hits for Glenwood City with Alex Peterson, Rubenzer and Johnson each contributing a hit.

In the circle, Maddie Oehlke retired the first 11 Bulldogs she faced and did not give up a hit until their where two outs in the bottom of the fourth to earn the victory.

Colfax

After shutting down and out the once-beaten Elmwood/Plum City Wolves 5-0 the previous night, the Colfax Vikings were charged and prepared knock off the conference’s other king pin.

Host Colfax led early in the May 25 game, but Glenwood City scored multiple runs in four of the game’s seven innings to hold off upset bid and claim a 12-8 victory.

The Toppers grabbed a quick 2-0 lead in the first on RBI singles from seniors Maddie Oehlke and Delanie Fayerweather.

The Vikings responded for three runs in their half of the first to take a one-run lead.

The duo of Maddie Oehlke and Fayerweather were at it again in second. Oehlke singled in a pair of runs and Fayerweather followed with a 2-run homer that not only cleared the softball fence but that of the baseball fence on an adjacent field to give the Toppers a 6-3 push.

Colfax added two runs in its second at bat to pull within a run at 6-5, but a four-run fourth highlighted by Alex Peterson’s two-bagger brought home a pair of runs for a five-run advantage.

Glenwood City pushed its lead to 12-5 with two more runs in the fifth. Colfax tried to rally, scoring three times in the sixth before it got a fly to end the inning and then struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to earn the pitching victory. Colfax collected a dozen hits off Oehlke, who finished with ten strike outs.

Glenwood City earned 16 hits off Vikings’ senior starter Anna Geissler, lead by Ryeah Oehlke’s 3-for-5 performance at the plate with two runs scored. Maddie Oehlke and Fayerweather (who both had home runs), Peterson (two doubles), and Morgan Johnson each tallied a pair of hits.

Elmwood/Plum City

After having their rematch rained out last Thursday, Elmwood/Plum City made the trek to Glenwood City the following afternoon in a crucial D-SC showdown.

While each team finished the game with seven hits, it was the Toppers that made the most of their opportunities to exact a bit of revenge in a 7-2 victory. It was the Wolves’ fourth straight loss after starting out the season with seven consecutive wins.

Alex Peterson walked in the second and scored to give GC a 1-0 lead.

The Wolves responded for a pair in the top of the third, but Glenwood City retook the lead for good with three scores in the bottom half of that same inning.

In the fifth, Toppers added two more insurance runs when Ryeah Oehlke reached on an error by sister Maddie, who also came home on Fayerweather’s sacrifice ground out to make it 6-2.

Glenwood City added its final run in the sixth when pinch-hitter Sydney Grant belted a double to the gap in left-center field that brought Morgan Johnson to home plate for the final of 7-2.

Ryeah Oehlke collected three of the Toppers’ hits, while Maddie Oehlke earned another mound victory scattering seven hits while striking out seven and walking a pair.