Mounders whomp Wolves, slide by Panthers, trip up Toppers for 3-0 week
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INFIELD HIT — The Mounders’ Avery Kaanta hit this pitch to third base and was able to beat the throw to first base for a hit during Elk Mound’s 15-5 home win over Glenwood City Friday, June 4. Kaanta also hit a double. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
by Marlys Kruger
Sports Correspondent
Playing three games, all against Dunn – St. Croix opponents last week, the Elk Mound baseball team came up with three wins to improve their conference record to 10-3 and their overall record to 12-3 heading into the final week of regular season play.
Starting with a 10-0 home win over Elmwood/Plum City Tuesday, June 1, the Mounders then won a squeaker 5-4 in a make-up game at Durand two days later. They ended their productive week with a lopsided 15-5 win over the Glenwood City Hilltoppers in a Friday game at Elk Mound Village Park.
The Mounders concluded conference play at Boyceville Monday, June 7, and hosted Fall Creek June 8 before beginning regional play next Tuesday, June 15. The Mounders, who received the second seed and an opening-round bye will host the winner of the Eau Claire Regis (#3) and Durand (#6) contest in a Division 3 regional semifinal.
Elmwood/Plum City
The Mounders scored early and often, starting with a pair of runs in the first inning when Ethan Johnson and Avery Kaanta both came home.
Ben Heath led off the second with a free pass and moved around the bases on singles by Ryan Bohl and Nate Lew, then scored on a sacrifice fly from Kaanta. Kaden Russo brought both Bohl and Lew in on his own base hit for a 5-0 lead.
Elk Mound added to the lead with three runs in the third when Aidan Balts led off with a single, Joseph Javanovich was plunked by a pitch and Heath reached on an error. All three scored on base hits by Bohl and Lew.
With Kaanta on the mound, the Wolves were held to one hit in the first four innings and were struck out six times. They had just four baserunners all game, with two coming by Mounder errors.
Elk Mound added their final two runs in the fifth after Bohl walked, Kaanta singled, and both came home on Logan Smith’s base hit.
Sam Roder finished off the final inning on the mound and gave up one hit before forcing a fly ball out to preserve the shutout.
Bohl, Lew, Russo, and Jerome Delikowski all banged out two hits to lead the offense with Bohl, Kaanta, and Heath all scoring twice. Russo and Smith both brought in two runs and Johnson had the only extra base hit with a double.
Durand
Elk Mound fell behind 1-0 after an inning of play in Durand June 3 but took the lead with two runs in the second when Kaanta drew a walk, Delikowski and Balts both smacked singles and Javanovich slammed a double to left field.
The Panthers knotted it up with a double and a single off Mounder hurler Bohl, but the tie was broken quickly when Elk Mound scored three times in the top of the fourth. Four hits in a row, starting with singles by Russo and Delikowski, followed by a double off the bat of Balts, and another single from Javanovich with a fielder’s choice ground ball by Ryan Bartig, gave the Mounders a 5-2 lead.
The Panthers struck back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning against Kaanta who came in for Bohl, but a strikeout and solid play by the defense got them out of the inning without any further damage.
Durand had runners on base in the sixth and seventh innings but the Elk Mound infielders came up with big plays to help them preserve the win.
The Mounders collected nine hits with two each by Lew, Delikowski, Balts, and Javanovich. Balts drove in three of the Mounder runs.
Kaanta earned the win allowing six hits with three strikeouts and no free passes.
Glenwood City
The Mounders slammed 16 hits against the 1-12 Hilltoppers in what would become their second, five-inning win for the week.
Elk Mound started with two runs in the first and blew the game open with nine in the second. Five singles, a walk, a fielder’s choice, three Topper errors, and several wild pitches by the Glenwood City pitcher gave the Mounders all the runs they would need.
After upping the lead to 13-0, the Toppers found some success off the Mounder’s second hurler of the game, Sam Roder, by scoring five runs.
However, a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth, with Javanovich coming home on a Topper error and Johnson scoring on a Lew base hit, allowed both teams to get out of the 90 degree heat early.
Lew finished with a 4-for-5 performance at the plate, driving in three runs and scoring three times. Kaanta, Javanovich, and Christian Hall all banged a pair of hits. Balts, Javanovich, and Brett Rosenthal each brought in two runs while Kaanta and Rosenthall both came home twice.
Russo started on the mound and pitched no-hit ball for three innings with eight Ks, and Roder gave up five runs on three hits with three strikeouts and a couple of free passes.