Topper softball earns opening-week split
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GLENWOOD CITY shortstop Emma Bliese fielded this ground ball during the Toppers’ April 5 home softball game versus Turtle Lake/Clayton. The Hilltoppers rallied for 14-13 win in eight innings. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Under the direction of first-year head coach Tracy Marback, the Hilltopper softball team earned a split in the opening week of its 2024 campaign.
Glenwood City inaugurated the new season and Dunn-St. Croix play in Mondovi April 4. Despite playing well, the Hilltoppers fell short in their bid to upset the host Buffaloes, losing 8 to 3.
Returning home the very next afternoon, Glenwood City hosted Turtle Lake/Clayton. The Hilltoppers pushed the April 5 non-conference tilt into extra innings before earning a heart-stopping 14-13 victory.
Glenwood City (1-1) was set to host Elk Mound this past Monday, but sloppy field conditions caused the contest to be postponed until next Tuesday, April 16. The Hilltoppers will host Spring Valley Thursday and will be in Boyceville next Monday, April 15 to take on the unbeaten Bulldogs.
Mondovi
In its April 4th season opener, Glenwood City surprised host Mondovi when it grabbed an early 3-0 advantage after an inning and a half of play.
The Buffaloes eventually overtook the Toppers as they scored runs in pairs – two each in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth innings – to earn a 8-3 victory.
“We played a great game in Mondovi,” stated Coach Marback. “We only gave up four earned runs and it was encouraging that the mistakes made are things that we can fix.”
Sydney Grant lead the Glenwood City offense with a 2-for-3 performance at the plate. Madison Caress went 1-for-3 with an RBI, Brooklynn Brite had a hit in four plate appearance and finished with two RBIs and Kiley Leduc hit a double.
Maddie Klatt started in the throwing circle, went five innings and suffered the loss. She surrendered six runs and finished with four strikeouts. Kirah Krueger throw the final two innings and recorded a pair of strikeouts.
Turtle Lake/Clayton
Glenwood City took a 7-3 lead into the fifth inning and looked to be on its way to victory when they hosted Turtle Lake/Clayton in a non-conference contest Friday, April 5.
But, the Titans didn’t roll over.
Turtle Lake/ Clayton chased Topper starting hurler Maddie Klatt from the game with a nine-run fifth inning to take a 12-7 lead.
Much to their credit, however, neither the Toppers nor Klatt were about to admit defeat. Kirah Krueger relieved Klatt in the circle for the next two and two-third innings and allowed just one more Titan score.
Glenwood City, meanwhile, scored twice in the fifth and four runs in the bottom of the seventh to knot the game at 13 all to force extra innings.
Klatt re-entered as the pitcher and retired the Turtle Lake/Clayton side in the top of the eighth with a fly out and two strikeouts.
In the bottom half of that same inning with runners at first and third, the Toppers sent Krueger to second and when the Titan catcher fired the ball low to second base, Izzy Davis raced home from third to give Glenwood City a 14-13 win.
“This team never gives up,” stated Marback. “After having an off inning in which we gave up nine runs, they chipped away and ultimately tied it in the bottom of the seventh inning and eventually leading to the walk-off victory in the eighth.”
Five Toppers had multiple hits in the game. Sydney Grant finished 4-for-5 with four RBIs and three runs scored, Madison Caress was 2-for-3 also with four RBIs, Brooklynn Brite collected three hits and an RBI in five plate appearances and Maddie Klatt, who earned the pitching win with 8 Ks in six and a third innings of work, helped her own cause with a pair of hits that yielded an RBI.