Toppers’ softball repeats as Dunn-St. Croix conference champions
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BEATS THROW — Despite sliding awkwardly into second base, Glenwood City’s Ryeah Oehlke was called safe after the Elk Mound shortstop dropped the ball. The Hilltoppers went on to win the contest 7-4 in 11 innings to secure its second straight undisputed Dunn-St. Croix conference softball championship.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
The Hilltoppers are Dunn-St. Croix Champions, again!
The Glenwood City softball team won its second straight conference softball championship as it closed out the final week of regular-season play with four victories over Dunn-St. Croix oppoents, including a pair of key wins over second-place teams to extended its winning streak to nine games as its heads into the WIAA tournament next week.
The Hilltoppers opened June play with a 5-2 victory in Durand last Tuesday, followed it the next day with a 10-0 home win over Spring Valley in a make-up game, before capping the week with a wild, 11-inning, 7-4 win at Elk Mound to claim sole possession of another D-SC championship. Glenwood City then returned home Monday, June 7 to close out the regular season and its conference slate against second-place Mondovi, sweeping the season series with the Buffaloes with a 5-0 shut out victory.
Ranked fifth in the WFSCA/Wissports.net Division 4 state coaches’ poll, Glenwood City finished with a 13-1 mark in the Dunn-St. Croix for back-to-back conference crowns and improved to a stellar 18-3 on the season. This could have been GC’s third consecutive D-SC championship had it not been for COVID-19 which wiped out last year’s spring sports season.
Carrying a state ranking and the top seed in the bottom half of the Division 4 Grantsburg sectional, Glenwood City earned a first-round regional bye and will host the winner of the Colfax (#8) -Eau Claire Regis (#9) quarterfinal contest on Monday, June 14. A win would likely have the Toppers hosting either Augusta (#4) or Cadott (#5) in next Wednesday’s regional championship. The sectional tournament is slated for Monday, June 21 and Wednesday, June 23.
Durand
When the Hilltoppers hosted the Panthers back on May 10, it took Glenwood City ten innings and a couple of rallies to final defeat Durand 9-8.
The Toppers didn’t want to repeat that scenario when they visited the Panthers’ lair last Tuesday, June 1.
Despite sporting just an 8-6 record, Durand has proven to be a dangerous opponent having beaten previously state-ranked Elmwood/Plum City twice (the only team to beat Glenwood City in conference play this season) and nearly knocking off second-place Mondovi and Elk Mound.
The Hilltoppers used three first-innings scored to tame the Panthers in the teams second meeting.
Sisters Maddie and Ryeah Oehlke both singled in the top of the first to put a pair of runners on for Delanie Fayerweather, who has been intentionally walked by many opponents in recent games. Fayerweather reached on a sacrifice that scored Ryeah. Alex Peterson then smacked a two-RBI single that plated both Maddie and Fayerweather for the 3-0 advantage.
Durand got a run back in the bottom half of that opening frame
Glenwood City added single runs in the fourth when Avery Rubenzer walked and scored on Ryeah Oehlke’s single and in the seventh after Maddie Oehlke doubled and scored on an ensuing Fayerweather base hit for a 5-1 advantage.
That proved all the offense Glenwood City needed was Maddie O.
Despite another Panther run in the bottom of the fourth, Oehlke shut down Durand the rest of the way, allowing just four hits and two runs, while registering 11 Ks, and just a single walk to earn the win inside the pitching circle.
Offensively, Glenwood City collected nine hits off Durand starter Joslin Carothers including a 3-for-3 performance by Maddie Oehlke and two hits from Ryeah Oehlke.
Spring Valley
GLENWOOD CITY’S Morgan Johnson picked up a hit in the Spring Valley game played at home on Wednesday, June 2.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
In a make-up contest played the following day, Glenwood City hosted and beat winless-at-the-time Spring Valley in a 10-0, five-inning shut out that gave the Toppers at least a share of their second straight conference title.
The Hilltoppers scored all the runs they needed in the first as the Oehlke sisters scored on a Fayerweather double for a 2-0 lead.
Glenwood City added four more runs in the second thanks to a Kendall Schutz single and four Red Bird-issued walks. The Toppers closed out the game’s scoring in the third when it added three more runs to make it 10-0 as Morgan Johnson and Ryeah O. both had RBI hits.
Maddie Oehlke added another victory to her pitching stats as she allowed just a pair of hits, a single and double to the Cardinals’ Tyra Johnson, to finish with four strike outs with just one free base.
Maddie also had two of Glenwood City’s seven hits along with Fayerweather who tallied three RBIs. Ryeah O., Schutz, and Johnson had the other three hits.
Elk Mound
TIMELY HIT — Freshman Michaela Blaser hit this two-RBI single in the seventh inning of Glenwood City’s softball game in Elk Mound June 4. The two runs gave the Hilltoppers their first lead of the game at 4-2. Elk Mound scored twice in the bottom half of the inning but the Hilltoppers scored three runs in the top of the eleventh inning to defeat the Mounders 7-4 and win their second straight conference championship. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Glenwood City knew it would have its hands full when it visited the Mounders in Elk Mound last Friday.
In their first meeting back on May 17, in Glenwood City, the Toppers had pulled out a 4-3 win.
This one would also provide some excitement and heart-stopping moments.
In a battle between the conference’s top two squads, the Hilltoppers trailed for much of the game before taking its first lead, 4-2, in the top of the seventh.
The Mounders responded with a pair of their own scores in the bottom half of the frame to send the June 4th contest into extra innings.
Senior pitching ace Maddie Oehlke allowed just one hit – a double to her counterpart McKenna Diermeier with two-out in the eighth inning – and retired the final ten batters she faced.
Glenwood City’s offense finally broke the deadlock in the top of the 11th inning with three runs keyed by a two-out, two-RBI single off the bat of Alex Peterson that gave the Hilltoppers a 7-4 advantage. Kendall Schutz also had a hit that scored Ryeah Oehlke with the go-ahead run.
Maddie O. slammed the door on the Mounders as she sat three down in order on a ground out and a pair of fly outs to Peterson in center field to preserve the 7-4 win.
In a contest where everything seemed magnified, Glenwood City finished with a nine to eight advantage in hits lead by Ryeah Oehlke’s 4-for-5 plate performance. While her sister Maddie picked up the complete-game pitching victory as she out dueled Mounder ace McKenna Diermeier, registering 11 strike outs and just a single in 11 innings of work.
Elk Mound took a 1-0 led in the bottom of the first when Diermeier reached on an error and scored. Glenwood City knotted the contest in the top of the third when Ryeah Oehlke singled and scored. The Mounders took the run back in the bottom half and held the 2-1 lead.
Elk Mound missed an opportunity to add to its lead in the sixth when it put runners at second and third with no outs. But, Delanie Fayerweather fired a throw to third to help pick off a Mounder runner and then Maddie Oehlke got the next two batters to ground and strike out to end the threat.
In the top of the seventh, Glenwood City broke through for three runs and the lead. Ryeah opened the frame with her third hit of the game, sister Maddie walked and Fayerweather reached to load the bases. Michaela Blaser then hit a little blooper over first base that landed just inside the foul line to score both Oehlke sisters. Fayerweather would also score before the Toppers’ at bat ended to make it 7-4.
Although Elk Mound knotted the score, Glenwood City eventually came up with the winning scores in the top of the 11th to clinch the outright conference championship.
“I’m very proud of how the girls handled the tough game. They mentally stayed confident even when the hits weren’t coming and errors put us behind,” said coach Matthew Schutz.
“The partnership between Delanie and Maddie is very special to see and have as a coach. For them to clinch their second conference championship after missing out on a returning infield for 2020, and then to help take a team made up of 6-7 new freshman and sophomores (some outfield positions have had multiple people in them this season) with no varsity experience and play at this level has been pretty special,” he added.
Mondovi
Facing the conference’s other second place team in the regular -season final this past Monday, June 7, Glenwood City barely outhit a tough Buffaloes squad from Mondovi, 5 to 3, to earn a 5-0 shut out.
Maddie Oehlke went the distance in the pitching circle, keeping Mondovi scoreless while striking out a dozen and had no walks to earn the win.
Maddie, who smacked a solo home run, along with a double by Michaela Blaser, and singles by Avery Rubenzer, Morgan Johnson, and Delanie Fayerweather against Mondovi starter Abby Johnson.
The Toppers scored a run in the third and a pair each in the fourth and sixth innings.
LET THE CELEBRATION BEGIN — Glenwood City senior pitcher Maddie Oehlke is hugged by her younger sister Ryeah while Michaela Blaser (left) and Delanie Fayerweather (right) rushed in after the Toppers secured the final out in a 7-4, eleven-inning victory at Elk Mound last Friday, June 4. The win gave Glenwood City its second straight, undisputed Dunn-St. Croix softball championship. —photo by Shawn DeWitt