Elk Mound Millers open season with 3 wins
by Don Stuckert
The Elk Mound Millers 16U American Legion Baseball opened their season with three victories last week. The Millers are playing in the Eau Claire Junior league this year, in addition to having a handful of non-league games. The league games are limited to one hour and fifty minutes.
Eau Claire Blue
The Millers traveled to the Mt. Simon baseball complex in Eau Claire on Tuesday to face Eau Claire Blue (ECB) and came away with a 6-5 victory.
The Millers got on the board with two runs in the top of the first when Gavin Dean was hit by a pitch and advanced to second on a fielder’s choice and would advance to score on a pair of passed balls. Mason Books, who also walked, would score the second run on Aaron Dostal’s single. Eau Claire would counter with a single tally in both the first and second innings to tie the score.
The Millers took the lead for good in the top of the third when Kaden Moyer and Books singled and advanced on a wild pitch. Dostal’s hard grounder turned into a throwing error allowing both runners to score. ECB would counter with three runs in the bottom of the fifth before Dean came in to relieve Moyer and struck out the final batter to seal the win.
Moyer started on the mound and worked 4.1 innings. He allowed six hits, walked six and struck out six. Dean worked the final 2/3 of an inning, giving up one hit and striking out one.
Eau Claire Purple
The Millers opened their home season with a 13-3 victory over Eau Claire Purple . In a game that started out as Pitcher’s duel, the Miller’s pitching remained steady throughout, while waiting for the offense to come to life. Mason Books started on the mound for the Millers and struggled a little bit early. “Mason was actually pitching pretty well” stated Coach Don Stuckert, “but his defense was a little leaky early. Once the defense settled in, he pretty much controlled the game.”
The game remained 3-3 into the fifth inning before the bats came to life for the Millers. Josh Braker led the offense with three hits and five RBIs. Jace Peterson added three RBIs on a pair of hits and Will Thatcher doubled.
Eau Claire Black
The Millers were back in league action vs Eau Claire Black (ECB) on Thursday, June 1st at Mt. Simon and came away with a 10-8 victory in a wild back and forth game that saw both teams score runs in every inning until the bottom of the final inning when the Millers were able to shut down ECB.
The Millers put up a single tally in the first on a two out single by Kaden Moyer. Josh Braker then drove him in on a ringing triple to right center. ECB would immediately answer scoring three in the bottom of the inning. The Millers would respond with two in the second on a run-scoring single by Dylan Plets and a bases loaded walk drawn by Brayden Borek. ECB would counter with a run in the bottom of the inning to take a 4-3 lead after two.
The Millers got two on with no outs in the third on a Braker walk and a Quintin Spehle base hit. After a strikeout and a pop-out to the Catcher, Conor Mock lined a triple to left-center to score two and giving the Millers a 6-4 lead. The lead didn’t last long as ECB responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning.
The top of the fourth proved to be the big inning of the game for Elk Mound as the first five runners reached base. A base hit, a ground ball and a wild-pitch later, the Millers had scored four runs. Spehle came in to pitch a scoreless inning in the bottom half and the Millers had another victory.
Brayden Borek started on the mound and worked three innings, giving up six hits, while walking five and striking out five. “Brayden didn’t have his best stuff tonight, but he battled and kept us close enough to win it in the end,” stated Stuckert.