Elk Mound baseball opens season with pair of impressive victories
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ELK MOUND — It was an impressive start to the baseball season for Elk Mound.
The Mounders scored 35 runs in a pair of lopsided home wins last week to begin the new campaign at 2-0.
Hosting Elmwood-Plum City in the 2024 season and Dunn-St. Croix Conference opener at Village Park Monday, April 1, Elk Mound looked to be in mid-season form. Kaden Russo and Brayden Borek combined to no-hit the Wolves while the Mounders’ offense collected a dozen hits including four that went for extra bases in a 21-0 pummeling that lasted just five innings.
Three days later, Elk Mound followed it up with a 14-4 non-conference home victory against Osseo-Fairchild.
A contest with Chippewa Falls McDonell Central, slated for Tuesday, April 2, was postponed due to inclement weather.
The Mounders are scheduled for three games this week with two on the road. They were slated to play in Glenwood City Monday, followed by a trip to Bloomer the next day (Tuesday, April 9) before ending with a home contest against Colfax this Friday, April 12. Elk Mound will then remain at home early next week for a pair of D-SC games against defending conference champ Mondovi on Monday, April 15 and Boyceville the following afternoon (Tuesday, April 16).
Elmwood-Plum City
While the Mounder bats were signing loud and clear in their season opener against Elmwood-Plum City, the pitching tandem of senior Kaden Russo and junior Brayden Borek had the Wolves hitters baffled throughout the entirety of the five-inning game.
Russo started on the mound and went the first three innings without giving up hit, run or walk and finished with six Ks to earn the victory. Borek threw the final two innings and like Russo did not allow a hit or run and had five strikeouts and a walk.
Senior Jake Osborne led the Elk Mound hit parade as he went 4-for-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles, three RBIs and four runs scored. Borek helped out his cause with a pair of hits along with Carter Vieth and Peyton Vieth who also collected two hits including a double. Peyton Vieth scored four runs and tallied three RBIs, Carter Vieth, Russo, Borek and Carter Garnett each had two RBIs in the Mounders’ 21-0 whitewashing of the Wolves.
Elk Mound scored in all four of innings that it batted. It put six runs on the scoreboard in the first inning, a single run in the second, three in the third and 11 in the fourth frame.
Osseo-Fairchild
In a Thursday, April 4 game at Village Park, Elk Mound banged out 11 hits including a trio of doubles to ten-run Osseo-Fairchild 14-4 in six innings.
The contest was scoreless until the bottom of the third when Elk Mound plated two runs.
The Thunder responded with three scores in the top half of the fourth to pull ahead by a single run. The visitors added a run in the fifth to increase their lead to 4-2.
But, Elk Mound scored a dozen runs – four in the fifth and eight in the sixth innings – to pull away for the 14-4 win.
Nine different players had hits for Elk Mound with Kaden Russo and Peyton Vieth topping the charts with a pair of 2-for-3 plate performances. Both scored two runs and Vieth tallied a couple of RBIs and three stolen bases. Carter Vieth, Brady Amble and Jake Osborne each had doubles.
Despite surrendering all four runs and five of the seven Thunder hits, junior Kamron Diermeier earned the pitching victory as he finished with two walks and a strike out in two innings of work. Kaden Russo started and threw three hitless and scoreless innings with a half dozen strike outs and three bases on balls. Brayden Borek threw the sixth and final inning, giving up a pair of hits but no runs and had two strikeouts without a walk.