Lady Mounders rebound from loss to Mondovi to nip Durand and double up Spring Valley
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Despite suffering its first loss of the season last Monday, the Elk Mound softball team remained in a tie for first with Mondovi after going on a three game winning streak to close out the week.
Just four days after Elk Mound nipped host Mondovi 3-2, the Buffaloes returned the favor as they came into Elk Mound last Monday, April 25 and scored a 7-1 victory to move into a first-place tie with the Lady Mounders.
Both teams share not only the conference lead but 6-1 records, all conference wins, as they head into the final three weeks of the regular season.
The Mounders quickly rebounded from their loss to Mondovi winning three contests to keep pace. After taking the loss against the Buffaloes, senior pitching ace McKenna Diermeier allowed just three runs on seven hits and five walks while striking out 36 batters over the next 17 innings in road wins over Durand and Spring Valley.
Elk Mound bested Durand 5-3 on the Panthers home field last Tuesday, April 26 and then swept a doubleheader in Spring Valley on Thursday, April 28 by blanking the Cardinals 17-0 in the first game and 14-0 in the night cap. Both games went just five innings.
The Mounders were also scheduled to hosted Prescott and Phillips in a triangular Saturday but inclement weather cancelled the games.
The Orange and Black will look to continue its winning ways as it is slated to play five games over the next six days. Durand came to Elk Mound Monday while Elmwood/Plum City will be here on Thursday. The Mounders will then step out of conference to play at Stanley-Boyd on Friday before heading to Arcadia Saturday morning for a triangular. Elk Mound then travels to Boyceville next Monday, May 9.
Mondovi
The visiting Buffaloes put runs on the board in each of the first five innings including single scores in the first, second and third innings and two each in the fourth and fifth to hand the Lady Mounders their first loss of the season, 7-1.
Trailing 3-0, Elk Mound finally got on the board in the bottom of the third inning. McKenna Diermeier reached on a fielder’s choice, took second and third when Hannah Larson and Morgyn Hallum were both plunked by pitches on consecutive at bats, and scored on Issie Hollister’s single. It would be the Mounders only run in the contest.
Mondovi tacked on four more runs – two each in the fourth and fifth frames – to earn the six-run victory.
Diermeier took the loss for Elk Mound going all seven innings, allowing seven runs on six hits and striking out eight.
Offensively, Elk Mound tallied five hits. Hollister went 2-for-3 with a double and Diermeier finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. The Mounders left six on base.
Abby Johnson earned the complete-game win allowing just a single run on those five hits, striking out seven and walking none.
Durand
24 hours later, playing a conference game in Durand, the Mounders got their bats going.
Elk Mound collected nine hits while Diermeier entered the pitching circle once again and held the Panthers to just four hits and struck out 16 in seven innings of work to help Elk Mound nip Durand, 5-3.
Hollister delivered a single in the top of the first that sent both Diermeier and Larson home to give the Mounders an early 2-0 advantage.
Durand scored in its half of the first but Hannah Larson’s sacrifice allowed Diermeier to score from third to make it 3-1.
Elk Mound then added what would be the game-winning runs in the top of the fourth. Diermeier tripled to drive in Chloe Dummer who had singled. In the very next at bat, Larson laced a single that brought Diermeier to home plate to make it 5-1.
Durand added single runs in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings but the Mounders were able to hold off the rally to win by two.
Diermeier aided her own cause with a 2-for-3 performance batting including the RBI triple and scored three of the Mounders’ five runs. Ellie Schiszik and Dummer also finished 2-for-3 at the plate. Hannah Larson, Morgyn Hallum and Issie Hollister each picked up a hit with Larson and Hollister each registered a pair of RBIs.
Regan Prissel suffered the loss for Durand as she gave up all nine hits and five runs, all earned, to the Mounders, striking out three and walking none.
Spring Valley (game 1)
While senior McKenna Diermeier was stymieing Spring Valley hitters, she and her Elk Mound teammates feasted on Cardinal pitching in the opening game of a doubleheader played in Spring Valley last Thursday, April 28 as they collected a dozen hits in a 17-0 shut out.
Diermeier allowed just two hits and no runs as she struck out 11 Spring Valley batters and walked just one to earn the victory.
She also led the offense, finishing 3-for-3 in the game with a triple and double, four runs scored, an RBI and a trio of stolen bases. Freshman Ellie Schiszik also collected a trio of hits and scored twice. Morgyn Hallum and Chloe Dummer had a pair of hits. Hallum scored a pair of runs and tallied three RBIs and two stolen bases while Dummer scored a run and led the team with five RBIs. Issie Hollister had a hit and stole two bases.
Elk Mound put the game away in the top of the first scoring nine runs. The Mounders then scored a run in each of the next three innings before adding five more in the fifth to complete the 17-0 shut out.
Maddie Shafer took the pitching loss for the Cardinals as she walked nine, struck out eight and allowed all 17 runs (13 earned) on 12 hits.
Spring Valley (game 2)
It was more of the same in game two.
Elk Mound collected 13 hits while Diermeier surrendered just one hit as the visiting Mounders, who were recognized as the home team in this game, swept the doubleheader from Spring Valley with a five-inning tally of 14-0.
Once gain, the Mounders jumped on the host Cardinals early and often.
Elk Mound scored five times in the first, twice in the second, six more runs in the third and capped it with a run in the fourth. Diermeier put the Cardinals down in order – a pair of ground outs and a strike out – in the top of the fifth to secure another shut out victory.
In her one-hit pitching performance, Diermeier struck out nine and gave up just two base on balls to earn her third straight victory.
She was also one of five Mounders to finish the game with a pair of hits. Joining Diermeier were Morgyn Hallum, Issie Hollister, Ellie Schiszik, and Alexa Severson.
Diermeier scored three times, and stole a pair of bases, Hallum tallied two runs and a pair of RBIs on a double and a single, Lauren Garnett laced a three-run homer and scored three times, Schiszik also scored three runs and stole three times, and Dummer singled, scored a run and had two RBIs.
Maddie Shafer took the loss for the Cardinals once again.