Boyceville hopes for conference baseball title fade with loss to Mondovi and split against Elk Mound

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Boyceville’s dream of winning this year’s Dunn-St. Croix baseball championship dimmed considerably when it was shut out by Mondovi and split a pair of key games against conference leader Elk Mound last week.

Boyceville lead 7-4 over Elk Mound last Monday, May 9 when play had to be suspended.

Then on Thursday, May 12, the Bulldogs traveled to Mondovi and were blanked 10-0. It was the first time Boyceville had been shut out since May of 2019 when it lost 3-0 to Elk Mound.

Reeling from that unexpected defeat, the Bulldogs had to play in Elk Mound the following day.

With no time to dwell on the loss to Mondovi, Boyceville held on to its 7-4 lead which turned into the final score of the first game.

In the second game, the Bulldogs fell behind 7-0 and ended up losing 11-4 to the Mounders.

Going 1-2 for the week, Boyceville is 9-3 in conference play and are 11-3 overall heading into the final week of regular season.

The Bulldogs hosted Durand on Monday and Elmwood/Plum City Tuesday and will play in Glenwood City this Friday before finishing with a home non-conference game with Cadott next Monday, May 23.

Mondovi

After having to wait three days to play following their suspended game with Elk Mound, the Bulldogs appeared listless when they played in Mondovi Thursday, May 12.

And the Buffaloes made them pay.

Using a seven-run second inning, Mondovi went on to blank Boyceville 10-0 in five innings. The first time in over three years that the Bulldogs were not able to score at least one run in a game.

“In baseball you can’t take teams for granted. Today we did exactly that. Not only that but we were lazy and had no energy,” said Boyceville head coach Michael Roemhild. “We can’t blame that on the heat or anything else, because Mondovi played in the exact same elements.”

“We were outplayed offensively, defensively, and in the pitching category. If getting 10 runned doesn’t wake you up and motivate you for the next game I’m not quite sure what will,” he added.

While the Bulldogs were only outhit six to five by the Buffaloes, Boyceville was never able to generate much of an offense to produce runs.

And seven, yes, seven errors doomed any chance that the Bulldogs had of every getting back into the game or establishing a rhythm.

Ira Bialzik led the team with two hits with Jacob Granley, Chase Hollister and Dawson McRoberts getting the other three hits.

With the Bulldogs’ top two pitchers’ Granley and Hollister being saved to throw against Elk Mound the next day, Devin Halama started on the pitching mound and went two and a third innings to take the loss after surrendering nine runs on five hits. He struck out one and walked three. Ira Bialzik finished off the final inning and two thirds giving up a hit and a run.

Elk Mound – Game 1

Before Monday’s home game with Elk Mound was suspended, Boyceville had built a 7-4 lead.

The Bulldogs scored four runs in the bottom of the first as it took early control of the game.

In that frame, Braden Roemhild and Ira Bialzik opened with back-to-back singles off Elk Mound starter Avery Kaanta. Jacob Granley was next at the plate and he spanked a double to score both Roemhild and Bialzik for a 2-0 lead. Batting in the clean-up position, Dawson McRoberts launched the Bulldogs’ fourth straight hit over the center-field fence for a two-run homer, the first of McRoberts’ career, to give the Bulldogs a 4-0 advantage.

It didn’t take long for Elk Mound to respond as they put four runs up in the top of the second inning to knot the game.

In their half of the third, the Bulldogs would come up with three more runs.

Chase Hollister singled, Nick Olson took a base after being hit by a pitch and Isaac Bartz scored a base hit to load the bases. Tyler Dormanen then laced a double that brought Hollister and Olson across home plate. Bartz then scored on Branden Roemhild’s ground out.

It remained that way until the game was suspended due to the weather.

When the game resumed Friday afternoon in Elk Mound, neither team was able to add another run and the Bulldogs held on for the 7-4 win.

“In the first game our bats were on fire,” said Roemhild.

“We were rolling into the 5th and Jacob was pitching well, then the weather decided to put a halt to everything,” stated Roemhild. “When the game resumed a few days later, neither team was able to do much leaving us with the 7-4 victory.”

Granley pitched all seven innings to earn the win having surrendered four runs on eight hits. The senior struck out nine and walked four.

Boyceville collected nine hits, Bartz and Dormanen each finished with a pair in three at bats.

Boyceville had three errors and Elk Mound two.

Elk Mound – Game 2

In game two, Boyceville loaded the bases in the top of the first but could not get a run home.

That would come back to haunt the Bulldogs because the Mounders scored twice in the bottom of the first and added three runs in the third and another pair in the fourth to jump out to a 7-0 lead.

I wasn’t until the sixth inning that Boyceville finally erased its scoreboard goose egg with a trio of runs.

But Elk Mound answered with four runs in the bottom half of the frame for a 11-3 lead.

The Bulldogs scored a run in their final atbat but that was all the could muster and lost 11-4.

Granley started game two and threw two complete inning before his 35-pitch count ran out. The senior gave up three runs on two hits and struck out one. Chase Hollister relieved Granley in the third but the Mounders collected six hits and eight runs off him in his three plus inning on the mound and he finished with two walks and a pair of Ks. Simon Evenson threw a third of an innings giving up a hit.

Boyceville finished with just four hits, singles by Granley, Hollister, Olson and Bialzik. Elk Mound tallied nine hits.

Kaden Russo started for the Mounders and went four inning to earn the win. He allowed just one hit and struck out seven.

“We got runners on but couldn’t manufacture runs off of their number one pitcher.  Jacob could only throw 35 pitches for us, so he was only able to go two innings,” said Roemhild. “Chase and Simon came in and tried to keep Elk Mound batters guessing, but the had our number in this game. That, and we did not back our pitchers up defensively.”

“In the 6th, we were able to cut their lead in half, but unfortunately left the bases loaded with our lead-off hitter on and momentum going our way. After that, Elk Mounds bats proved to be too strong for us,” he concluded.