Colfax boys whip E-PC Wolves, trip up Glenwood City Hilltoppers

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by Marlys Kruger

Sports Correspondent

The Colfax baseball team came up with their first win on the ball diamond with 7-0 win on the road against the Elmwood-Plum City Wolves April 15. They continued in their winning ways taking a 5-2 win on their home field three days later over the Glenwood City Hilltoppers.

The Vikings, 2-3 in conference and overall play, are on the road for a pair of Dunn-St. Croix games this week. They played in Boyceville on Monday and go to Mondovi this Thursday, Next Monday. April 29, they return home to host Durand-Arkansaw.

Elmwood-Plum City

Mason Yarrington and Zach Hiitola combined for the three-hit shutout with Yarrington earning the win, pitching six innings, allowing two hits with ten strikeouts and no walks. Hiitola finished off the final stanza giving up one hit with two Ks and one base on balls.

Drew Buchner drew a lead-off walk to start the game then proceeded to steal second. He came around to score on an E-PC error for a 1-0 Colfax lead. The Wolves loaded the bases in the fourth but Yarrington closed the door when he whiffed three straight batters.

The Vikings were still holding their slim one-run lead until they broke the game open in the seventh inning. Buchner drew one of the eight walks the E-PC hurlers issued, swiped second and managed to swipe third, too. He scored on a passed ball and after Kade Anderson and Yarrington also drew free passes, Hiitola was hit by a pitch and Orion Nichols had the big slam with a double to bring two runners home. Grant Cook reached on an error, Peyton Hover took one for the team by getting hit and back-to-back singles from Buchner and Anderson brought in the final runs.

Colfax collected just four hits in the contest with Nichols and Cook slamming doubles and Buchner and Hover both picking up a single. Buchner collected four of the team’s eight stolen bases. The Vikings left 11 runners stranded on the base paths.

Glenwood City

The bats were pretty quiet once again for the Vikings as they collected just four hits, but they took advantage of some erratic pitching by the Hilltopper hurlers and a couple of timely hits to pick up the win.

After a scoreless two innings, Buchner was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the third, and moved to third on a Topper error. He scored the Viking’s first run on a wild pitch. Yarrington was pretty steady on the mound, getting himself out of a fourth inning jam. With a Topper runner on third and one out, Yarrington whiffed a batter and forced a ground ball out to Cook at third base to end the threat.

Nichols and Cook both reached  base in their half of the fourth when they were nailed by the Topper pitcher, and after Caleb Bailey singled, Nichols came home on a fielder’s choice for a 2-0 advantage. Anderson led off the fifth with the only extra base hit for the Vikings, a double, and Yarrington and Nichols both took free passes. Cook then banged a single to bring two runs in for a 4-0 lead.

Glenwood City ended the shutout with a run in the sixth inning on a single, wild pitch and Colfax error. The Vikings countered that run however when Buchner was hit by yet another pitch in the bottom of the sixth. He stole second base, moved up a base on a ground ball and came home on a Topper error. Glenwood City had a final push in the seventh, using a single, a Viking error and a passed ball to tack on a run. However, in between those plays, Hiitola, now in relief of Yarrington, struck out three Toppers for the win.

Yarrington earned the win, allowing four hits with five Ks and three walks in his six innings. Hiitola gave up one hit with one run and three strikeouts. Cook picked up two RBIs with his double and Buchner scored twice.