Colfax baseball team splits games with Durand-Arkansaw Panthers
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CAUGHT IN A RUNDOWN — A Durand-Arkansaw base runner got caught in a rundown while trying to score during a Friday, May 3 Dunn-St. Croix baseball game in Colfax. Vikings’ third baseman Grant Cook (#13) prepares to take the throw from teammate and catcher Drew Buchner. Cook tagged out the Panther player to help preserve a 7-6 Colfax victory in the conclusion of an April 4 contest that was suspended due to darkness. The Vikings lost game two by a 2-0 count to the Panthers. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
by Marlys Kruger
Sports Correspondent
COLFAX — It was a long wait for the Colfax baseball team to finish off their game against Durand-Arkansaw that started back in early April. The score was tied at 6-6 in the contest after eight innings and needed to be called due to darkness. The coaches decided to finish it off when the Panthers came to play in Colfax April 29 but a rainy weekend left the Colfax field unplayable and the game was rescheduled for Friday, May 3. The Vikings prevailed with a 7-6 win in the ninth inning, but struggled at the plate in game two and lost 2-0.
Colfax, currently fifth in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference standings with a 3-6 record which is also its overall mark, hosted rival and unbeaten Elk Mound Monday and will welcome Elmwood-Plum City on Thursday. Next Monday, May 13, the Vikings go to Glenwood City before returning home the following day to take on Spring Valley.
Durand-Arkansas-Game 1
Colfax took an early lead in the second inning when Zach Hiitola singled, stole second and came home on two passed balls. The Panthers pitcher was pretty unsteady as he walked four Vikings before Drew Buchner brought a run in with a sacrifice fly, then two more free passes were issued and it was 4-0 for the Vikings. Colfax added a single run in the fifth when Hiitola drew a walk and came home on a double by Orion Nichols, and tacked on another run in the sixth after Austin Coates banged a base hit and advanced when Buchner was hit by a pitch, Kade Anderson walked and Mason Yarrington hit a ground ball to allow Coates to score.
With the score at 6-6 and now being played under sunny skies in Colfax, Hiitola started things off again with a single, another stolen base and scored the go ahead run off a base hit from Caleb Bailey. That’s all the offense could produce but it didn’t matter because Yarrington took the mound and put the Panthers down 1-2-3 to preserve the win.
COLFAX’S Caleb Bailey knocked in the game-winning run with this hit last Friday as the Vikings defeated the Durand-Arkansaw Panthers 7-6 in the conclusion of an April 4 game that had been suspended due to darkness. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Hiitola and Yarrington combined for a two hitter with Hiitola hurling four innings, allowing two runs with eight strikeouts and three walks. Yarrington finished up going five innings, allowing four runs on seven Ks and seven free passes. The Vikings committed five errors in the contest and stranded 10 base runners. Hiitola batted 2-for-4 with an RBI while crossing home plate three times and Nichols, Coates and Bailey all picked up one hit and one RBI.
Durand-Arkansaw-Game 2
The Vikings had a runner as far as third base in three innings but couldn’t come up with the key hit to bring them home. Yarrington started on the mound and had a no-hitter going for the first three innings as he appeared to be in total control. His only blip came in the fourth when he hit a Panther batter who stole second,moved up on a ground ball out and came home on a Viking error.
The Panthers added another run in the seventh, starting on another Viking error and a double off Hiitola who took over the pitching duties. The play at home was bang-bang and it appeared catcher Buchner may have made the tag on the Panther runner before he crossed the plate but that’s not how the umpire saw it. It didn’t matter in the end as the Vikings failed to score in the bottom of the seventh.
The Colfax offense picked up just three hits in the contest, two coming from Grant Cook on a single and a double and a single by Hiitola.
Yarrington gave up one run with one strikeout and no free passes while Hiitola allowed one run, whiffing nine Panthers and also did not issue any walks.