Bulldogs remain at top of conference with pair of wins
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QUICK THROW — After fielding a ground ball, senior shortstop Trevor Hollister (#2) threw to first base to record the out during Boyceville’s road game in Elk Mound May 13. The Bulldogs won in a 6-0 shut out. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
by Marlys Kruger
Sports Correspondent
It was an early season showdown in the Dunn-St. Croix Conference when the Boyceville baseball team hosted Spring Valley May 10. The Cardinals were one game behind the Bulldogs in the conference standings and it turned out to be quite the battle before the Bulldogs pulled through with a 5-0 win.
After a 13-7 non-conference win over Grantsburg the next day (May 11), Boyceville traveled to Elk Mound and pretty much shut the Mounders down with a 6-0 victory in the May 13 contest.
The unbeaten Bulldogs, 6-0 and 8-0, played host to Mondovi on Monday before traveling to Amery and Durand this Thursday and Friday, May 20 and 21, respectively. They will host Glenwood City next Monday, May 24.
Spring Valley
The way the Bulldogs have been pounding the ball this season, it seemed unlikely they would be shutout through five innings of play. But, they were unable to get any runs off Cardinal hurler Michael Bauer while their own pitchers were shutting Spring Valley down as well.
Boyceville finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth when they loaded the bases. Jacob Granley walked, Ira Bialzik singled, and Trevor Hollister drew another walk. The next two batters went out without getting a runner home, leaving freshman Braden Roemhild in the batters box. On a 3-2 count, Roemhild calmly drew a walk for an RBI and the first run of the game. Then Trett Joles made Bauer pay for those walks by sending a ball over the fence for a grand slam to clear the bases. As it turned out that was all they needed to seal the win.
Joles went 3-for-4 at the plate with his four RBIs while Trevor Hollister was 2-for-2 with a run scored, and Chase Hollister and Bialzik each belted one hit.
Connor Sempf pitched four innings of shutout ball, striking out seven Cardinals and walking two. Granley was credited with the win, going two innings, allowing one hit with two Ks and one free pass. Walker Retz finished off the final inning, whiffing three out of the four batters he faced. Spring Valley left 12 runners stranded against the Bulldog hurlers.
“This was our first true test of the year,” Boyceville coach Michael Roemhild said. “We definitely did not make things easy for ourselves. We committed four errors in one inning while Sempf was pitching but like a true veteran he was able to work his way out of a couple of jams. It was good for us to have some adversity and be in a close game,” he added.
Grantsburg
Boyceville spotted the Pirates a two-run lead before knotting the score after an inning of play.
The Bulldogs increased their advantage to 7-2 in the second and tacked on three more in the third. Grantsburg picked up three runs in the fourth to get closer at 10-5 but Boyceville just kept pecking away with another run in the fourth and two in the sixth. The Pirates did manage to come up with two more runs but that’s all they would get off the Bulldog relief pitchers.
Joles again was the ring leader at the plate with a 3-for-4 performance, scoring three times, bringing in four runners with a double and a home run with one stolen base. Trevor Hollister banged a double and collected a pair of RBIs, Retz slammed his fourth round tripper of the year and brought in a couple of runs, Sempf went 2-for-3 with an RBI and scored twice, and Bialzik was 2-for-3 while crossing home plate twice.
Chase Hollister earned his first varsity win, pitching four innings, giving up four hits and five runs while whiffing three Pirates and walking five. Trevor Hollister threw two innings, allowing two runs with two hits and four Ks, and Brady Helland finished off the final inning, issuing two hits and a walk before getting three batters out.
The Bulldog defense made some pretty spectacular plays to save runs, according to coach Roemhild.
“Braden Roemhild made a nice diving catch in right field to end the third inning,” he said. “And Bialzik made another diving catch in left field to end the game. Chase threw well in the second and third innings but struggled with his command a bit in the fourth before working his way out of it. Offensively, our guys came out to hit tonight,” he commented.
Elk Mound
The Mounders have been a thorn in the Bulldogs side the past few years with the two teams battling it out for the conference title.
But, that definitely wasn’t the case Thursday, May 13 as Granley and Retz combined to stifle the Mounder offense by throwing a two hitter. Granley started the game and in five innings allowed two hits while striking out some pretty potent Mounder hitters eight times. Retz closed things out in the last two innings by whiffing all six batters he faced.
Playing error-free ball and getting enough big hits at the right time was a big asset for the Bulldogs as well.
Trevor Hollister at shortstop and third baseman Dawson McRoberts had some pretty nice plays on the defensive side, according to coach Roemhild. Sempf was 3-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs and a run scored, leadoff hitter Joles did his job by getting on base and stealing four bases, and Granley had a pair of hits.
“This was just a solid game we played tonight,” coach Roemhild said. “We knew our schedule this week was going to challenge us and our guys stood up to the challenge. Our focus now shifts to Monday when we host Mondovi,” he added.