Bulldog softballers split final regular season games
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The Boyceville softball team headed into tournament play having split its final two games of the regular season.
Just two days after beating Durand at home 9-2, the Lady Bulldogs had to travel to Panthers’ Country last Monday, May 16 for a rematch. While the location had changed the outcome did not as Boyceville pocketed a 14-5 victory in its final Dunn-St. Croix contest of the 2022 season.
The following day, Boyceville closed out regular season with a long trip to Pepin to face the Pepin/Alma Eagles in a non-conference match up. The Bulldogs surrendered a 6-1 advantage when the Eagles scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull out the improbable 8-6 come-from-behind win.
The Bulldogs finished in third place in the Dunn-St. Croix with a 9-5 record, four games behind co-champions Elk Mound and Mondovi.
#2 seeded Boyceville (10-6) opened the Division 4 softball tournament hosting #7 Elmwood-Plum City in a regional semifinal game yesterday, Tuesday, May 24. A win would move the Bulldogs into Thursday’s regional championship against the winner of the Cadott (#3) and Cornell/Lake Holcombe (#6) game.
Durand
Boyceville collected 16 hits off Panther pitching when it visited Durand May 16.
Senior Harper Olson smacked a two-run homer in the seventh inning while fellow senior Libby Bygd and sophomore Hannah Dunn each collected a double to lead the Bulldogs to a 14-5 romp over the Panthers.
Durand held a slight 2-1 advantage through the first three innings of play but the Bulldogs changed the complexion of the game in the top of the fourth inning when they scored four times on four hits and a Panther error.
Boyceville added four more runs in the fifth, one in the sixth and capped it with another four scores in the top of the seventh highlighted by Dunn’s RBI double which was followed by Olson’s two-run jack.
Durand scored a run in the fourth and two in the fifth to account for the 14-5 final.
Delaney Olson collected a quarter of the Bulldogs’ hits going 4-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and three runs scored. Bygd and Cora Leslie both finished with three hits and a pair of runs. Dunn and Harper Olson tallied a pair of hits and three RBIs. Ella Holden also had two hits.
Holden threw all seven frames for Boyceville to earn the win as she allowed five runs on seven hits and sat down seven Panther batters while giving up just a single walk.
The Bulldogs did have a couple of errors but the Panthers committed six.
Pepin/Alma
The visiting Bulldogs were ahead 6-1 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning when the wheels fell off, so to speak.
In that half inning alone, Boyceville senior hurler Ella Holden hit a batter and gave up a walk and three hits while her defense faltered, committing four errors that allowed Pepin/Alma to plate seven runs and eventually take an 8-6 win.
The Bulldogs took a 4-0 lead as they crossed home four times in the second inning.
Boyceville added two more runs in the fifth to push its advantage to 6-0.
The Eagles scored their first run in the fifth before exploding for seven in the following inning.
Harper Olson and Cambrie Reisimer each had two of the Bulldogs nine hits and two RBIs to lead Boyceville’s offense. Olivia Ponath collected a double.
Going all seven frames, Ella Holden suffered the pitching loss after surrendering all eight of the Eagles runs on nine hits. She struck out five and walked three.