Elk Mound softball shuts out EPC Wolves, blanked by Stanley-Boyd and Fall Creek
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ELK MOUND’S Autumn Joachim made contact with this pitch during a non-conference softball contest played at home Saturday, April 5 versus Fall Creek. The Crickets, the defending Division 4 state champions, won the game 21-0 in three innings. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
The Elk Mound softball team was involved in a trio of shutout contests to open its 2025 campaign last week.
Unfortunately, the Lady Mounders found themselves on the wrong side of two of those outcomes as they began the new season with a 1-2 record.
The lone win came in its season, home and Dunn-St. Croix Conference opener versus Elmwood-Plum City Thursday, April 3. The Mounders, who collected a dozen hits, blanked the Wolves 10-0 in five innings as senior Hailey Meyer tossed a no hitter and struck out 13 Wolves’ batters and walked just one.
The following two days, Elk Mound took on a pair of Cloverbelt West Conference teams and were itself shut out. The Mounder, who will become a member of that conference this coming fall, traveled to Stanley-Boyd Friday afternoon, April 4. Despite seven hits in the contest, Elk Mound was unable to generate any runs and fell to the Orioles 9-0.
About 24 hours later, Elk Mound welcomed the defending WIAA Division 4 state champion Crickets of Fall Creek for a late Saturday afternoon matinée. Fall Creek and its pitcher Grace Herrem dominated the non-conference affair. Herrem allowed just one Mounder hit while the Cricket offense collected 16 hits which included a home run and several other extra base raps en route to a 21-0 victory in three innings.
Weather permitting, the Mounders have a busy week with four games scheduled including two conference games. They were on the road in Boyceville Monday, April 7, hosted Bloomer Tuesday, then welcomes Glenwood City Thursday and finally Prescott on Friday. Next Monday, April 14, Elk Mound heads to Colfax to take on the rival Vikings who are the defending D-SC champs.
Elmwood-Plum City
After wintry weather postponed its season opener at Chippewa Falls McDonell Central two days earlier, Elk Mound finally hit the softball field Thursday, April 3 when it hosted the Elmwood-Plum City Wolves in what was now the season and Dunn-St. Croix Conference opener.
Although the Mounders held just a 2-0 advantage after three inning of play, they put three runs across home plate in the bottom half of the fourth and added five more scores in the fifth to bring the contest to an end and claim the 10-0 victory.
Hailey Meyer did not allow a hit in the game and collected 13 strike outs to record her first pitching victory of the season.
Offensively, Elk Mound finished with 12 hits including doubles by Ellie Schiszik, Kendra Garnett and Jaidynn Sarauer. Schiszik finished the game with a 3-for-4 effort at the plate with four runs scored to lead the Mounders. Alivia Baskin was 2-for-2 batting while Jaidynn Sarauer went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.
The Mounders also stole ten bases with Schiszik accounting for four while Elisabeth Beskow had two.
THE MOUNDERS’ senior shortstop Ellie Schiszik (#7) prepared to catch this pop up during an April 5 home softball game against Fall Creek. The Crickets won the contest 21-0 in three innings. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Stanley-Boyd
Elk Mound managed seven hits against Stanley-Boyd pitching, but was unable to score a run as they were blanked 9-0 in the non-conference road game played Friday, April 4.
The Orioles put up four runs in the first, one in the second frame, three in the third and a final score in the fifth inning.
Jaidynn Sarauer and Kendra Garnett each finished the game with a pair of hits. Schiszik, Baskin and Autumn Moquin each tallied a hit.
Hailey Meyer suffered the loss in the throwing circle. She surrendered all nine Orioles runs on eight hits which included a home run, walked two and struck out a pair in five inning of work. Elisabeth Beskow pitched a scoreless, hitless sixth inning.
Fall Creek
The defending state champion Fall Creek Crickets appeared in mid-season form when they visited Elk Mound Saturday afternoon, April 5.
A discipline and well-polished crew, the Crickets were capable of playing small ball, successfully making several bunts singles, as well as long ball with many multi-base hits throughout the contest which lasted just three innings.
Those three frames, however, were enough to deliver a 21-0 whitewashing of the host Mounders. Fall Creek registered 16 hit over those innings as it scored five runs in the opening inning, nine in the second and then ended the contest with seven runs in the third. In softball, if one team leads by 15 runs or more after three innings of play, the game is over.
Senior Ellie Schiszik picked up the Mounders lone hit off Cricket starter Grace Herrem, who struck out four Mounder batters.
Elisabeth Beskow suffered the pitching loss for the Mounders as she surrendered all 21 runs and 16 Cricket hits which included a home run. She walked three and struck out one.
The two teams could see one another again in the playoffs as Fall Creek will move to Division 3 this year due to the competitive balance policy recently implemented by the WIAA.