Elk Mound captures regional baseball championship with pair of 10-run wins
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HOME RUN — Elk Mound senior and conference MVP Kaden Russo sent a first-inning pitch over the left-center field fence for a three-run home run during a WIAA Division 3 regional baseball semifinal contest played Tuesday, May 28 at Village Park. Russo also hit a double, had four RBIs and pitched a three-hit shut out to lead the Mounders to a 10-0, five-inning win over the Eau Claire Regis Ramblers.
—photo by Shawn DeWitt
ELK MOUND — The Elk Mound baseball team won back-to-back five-inning, ten-run playoff victories over a pair of Cloverbelt teams last week to capture its second WIAA Division 3 regional baseball championship in three years.
The Dunn-St. Croix’ most valuable player, senior Kaden Russo, tossed a three-hit shutout and blasted a three-run home run in the first inning to lead top seeded Elk Mound to a 10-0 blanking of eighth seed Eau Claire Regis (9-14), who finished fourth in the Cloverbelt West Conference, in a regional semifinal played at the Elk Mound’s Village Park last Tuesday, May 28.
Back at Village Park the following afternoon, the Mounders, ranked third in the final Division 3 regular-season state coaches poll, improved to 21-1 on the season with a 13-3 regional championship win over fifth-seeded Neillsville/Granton (13-9), the runner-up in the Cloverbelt East Conference.
The victory earned the Mounders a berth in yesterday’s (June 4) Cumberland Sectional which was played at Islander Park. Elk Mound faced off against fellow Dunn-St. Croix member Mondovi, an 11-3 winner against Fall Creek, in the afternoon semifinal. The Mounders defeated the Buffaloes in both regular season games winning 8-0 and 9-1.
Host Cumberland took on St. Croix Falls in the morning semifinal. The two winners met later that same afternoon with a sectional championship and state berth on the line.
The Division 3 state semifinals will be played next Tuesday afternoon, June 11 at Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute. The state championship will be played at noon on Thursday, June 13.
Eau Claire Regis
Kaden Russo showed why he was this year’s consensus pick for the conference’s most valuable player when his Mounders opened the playoffs at home versus the Regis Ramblers Tuesday, May 28.
The senior pitched a shut out against the Ramblers allowing just three hits in a 10-0, five inning complete game victory. He also went 2-for-2 at the plate with four RBIs including a three-run dinger in the first inning that gave Elk Mound an early 4-0 advantage. Russo also had an RBI double and scored two runs and drew a walk.
The Mounders made it 5-0 with a run in the third and then scored five times in the bottom half of the fifth to make it 10-0.
MOUNDER CATCHER Peyton Vieth tagged out an Eau Claire Regis runner at home plate during a WIAA Division 3 baseball regional semifinal at Village Park on Tuesday, May 28. Elk Mound won the five-inning game 10-0. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Russo then slammed the door on Regis in the fifth as he retired the side for the win. He finished with seven strikeouts and walked four.
Carter Vieth also had a pair of hits for the Mounders who tallied eight in the game. Carter Vieth finished with a double, an RBI and scored a run. Victor Noller, Jake Osborne, Carter Garnett and Peyton Vieth each accounted for a hit. Osborne had two RBIs.
Neillsville/Granton
Elk Mound used a six-run second inning to blow open their regional championship game versus Neillsville/Granton played on its home diamond Wednesday, May 29.
Leading 1-0 after the first inning, the Mounders pounced on the Warriors with six runs in the ensuing inning to take a 7-0 lead into the third inning.
Elk Mound made it 8-0 with another single score in the third.
Despite being held without a hit, Neillsville/Granton finally got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth with a trio of scores. Elk Mound, however, responded with three runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning to re-establish its 8-run advantage.
The Mounders tacked on their final two runs in the bottom of the fifth for a ten-run lead thereby ending the game.
Elk Mound piled up 14 hits in the game which helped offset its four errors. Brayden Borek led the offense with three hits including a double in four plate appearances, scored two runs and finished with three RBIs. Jake Osborne, Kamron Diermeier, Lucas Johnson and Carter Vieth each had a pair of hits. Osborne and Johnson both had a double. Osborne also scored three runs while Johnson had two RBIs. Carter Vieth finished the game with four RBIs to lead the Mounders. Peyton Vieth, Victor Noller and Carter Garnet each added a base hit.
Victor Noller and Brayden Borek collaborated to toss a no hitter.
Noller started on the pitcher’s mound and went three and two-thirds innings to get the victory. Noller gave up all three Warrior runs without the aid of a hit. He struck out five and walked five. Borek tossed the final inning and a third without giving up a hit or run. He walked a pair and had one strikeout to his credit.