Topper baseball beats E-PC, falls to Spring Valley
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SPRING VALLEY — While snow, sleet and rain continued to wreck havoc with the spring sports schedules, Glenwood City was fortunate to squeeze in a trio of Dunn-St. Croix baseball contest last week.
Playing a pair of games in Spring Valley last Tuesday, April 18, the Hilltoppers picked up their first win of the season with an 8-5 triumph over Elmwood-Plum City in the opening contest of the doubleheader. In the night cap, host Spring Valley was able to hold off a late rally by Glenwood City to claim a 7-5 victory. To finish the week, the Toppers took on the rival Bulldogs in Boyceville on a cold and windy day last Friday, April 21 and lost 15-12. The Boyceville game story came be found elsewhere in this week’s sports pages.
This week, the Toppers, 1-4, have three straight conference road games which began with a contest in Colfax Monday, April 24. They go to Elmwood on Thursday to play the EPC for the second time in as many weeks and will be in Durand Friday. They are scheduled to face Durand-Arkansaw again on Monday, May 1 with the game likely to be played in Durand again as the Toppers newly renovated field is not ready for play. Next Tuesday, they play in Mondovi.
Elmwood-Plum City
Glenwood City took an early six-run advantage, and then held off a late rally to defeat Elmwood-Plum City 8-5.
The Wolves scored first putting a run across home plate in the top of the first inning, but the Hilltoppers came up with three runs in the bottom half of the first. Glenwood City tacked on two more runs in their half of the second and single runs in third and fourth frames to push the lead to 7-1.
It stayed that way until the top of the six when Elmwood-Plum City exploded for four runs.
The Hilltoppers, however, added a run to their tally in the bottom part of the six for an 8-5 lead. Noah Brite, who relieved Glenwood City starting pitcher Steven Booth in the sixth inning, struck out a pair in the seventh and got a ground out to end the contest after surrendering a lead-off walk.
Booth threw five strong innings, giving up only one run on five hits while striking out 11 Wolves batters and walking six. Brite surrendered four runs on three hits, walking four and striking out three.
The Toppers’, who were outhit 8 to 6 by the Wolves, were led by seniors Jayden Quinn and Max Janson who both finished the game 2-for-4. Janson finished with three RBIs while Quinn scored twice. Booth and Peyton Theune had Glenwood City’s other two hits. The Toppers, who left six on base, stole six bases including a pair by Janson.
Brett Lifto suffered the pitching loss for Elmwood-Plum City, who stranded a dozen on the bases and had an error. Throwing the first four frames, Lifto was responsible for all six hits and seven runs, six of which were earned. He struck out 8 Toppers and walked three. Payton Kopp threw the final two innings for the Wolves as he gave up a run without a hit, walked two and struck out a pair.
Spring Valley
A four-run fourth, helped propel the host Cardinals to a 7-5 win over the Hilltoppers. The game followed the Glenwood City versus Elmwood-Plum City contest.
In an evenly-played contest in which both teams had five hits, Spring Valley took the early lead when Caleb Bartko tripled in the bottom of the first and then scored on a single by Diego Schmitt for a 1-0 Cardinal advantage.
It remained that way until the top of the third when Glenwood City plated a trio of runs for a 3-1 advantage. Brody Riba singled to open the inning took second on a balk and went to third on a wild pitch where he was singled home by Noah Brite who stole second and scored when Steven Booth singled. Booth moved to second when Max Janson was hit by a pitch and scored to make it 3-1 when Cardinal starter Caleb Bartko threw consecutive wild pitches.
The Cardinals, however, responded with four scores in the bottom half of the inning when Topper starter Blake Fayerweather issued three straight walks and a base hit to start the inning that led to three Spring Valley runs. Janson came in with one out and retired the side but not before the Cardinals added another run to retake the lead at 5-3.
Spring Valley grew that lead to 7-3 with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
Glenwood City tried to rally.
Aaron Brigham smacked a one-out single in the sixth. He went to second on a balk, took third on a wild pitch and then scored when Andrew Blaser ground out to second.
In the seventh, Brite had a one-out single of his own, made it around to third on Booth’s subsequent hit and came in to score on wild pitch that made it a 7-5 game. But, Spring Valley reliever RJ Hybben got Janson to fly out to center for the second out and then struck out Brigham to end the Toppers’ rally and the game.
Steven Booth finished 2-for-4 with a couple of RBIs to lead the Toppers at the plate. Brite, Riba and Caleb Klinger each had singles to account for the Toppers other three hits.
Fayerweather took the mound loss as he surrendered four runs on just two hits but walked four and had four Ks in two and a third innings. Janson pitched two and two thirds, allowing three runs on two hits and struck out four with a pair of walks. Peyton Theune threw the final inning allowing just a hit while striking out one and walking another.
Glenwood City committed two errors in the game.