Elk Mound shuts out Colfax in Dunn-St. Croix Conference baseball showdown
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ELK MOUND starting pitcher Victor Noller caught this pop foul by Colfax’s Grant Cook for an out during the April 12 baseball game at the Village Park in Elk Mound. The Mounders won 5-0. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
ELK MOUND — The Elk Mound baseball team stayed unbeaten on the season and capped a 3-0 week with a 5-0 shut out of conference rival Colfax at its Village Park field last Friday afternoon, April 12.
With that win and victories of 12-2 in Glenwood City Monday, April 8 and 7-5 at Bloomer’s Stuckert Field the following day (April 9), the Mounders improved to 3-0 in Dunn-St. Croix action and 5-0 overall. Meanwhile, Colfax slipped to 0-3 in league and overall play after losing to both Spring Valley and Mondovi earlier in the week.
In the April 12 conference showdown at Elk Mound’s Village Park, Victor Noller threw five hitless and scoreless innings against Colfax whiffing eight Viking batters and walking just one to earn the victory. Brayden Borek relieved Noller in the top of the sixth and allowed just one hit, that to Colfax’s Kade Anderson to lead off the Vikings’ seventh frame, but no runs with four strikeouts against the six batters he faced.
Elk Mound generated just enough offense, six hits and five runs, against Colfax to earn the win.
Viking starting pitcher Zach Hiitola surrendered a two-out walk to Carter Vieth in the bottom of the first. That free pass would prove costly as the Mounders next batter, senior Kaden Russo, sent a Hiitola toss over the left-center field fence for a two-run home run which, as it turned out, was the game winning hit.
The Mounders doubled their advantage the very next inning with two more runs. Jake Osborne reached on a Colfax fielding error to open the bottom of the second inning. Victor Noller followed with a single that scored Osborne who had went to second on Colfax throwing error. Hiitola struck out Mounder Brayden Borek but Kamron Diermeier sent a sacrifice fly to deep center that allowed Noller to touch home plate for a 4-0 Mounder lead.
Elk Mound scored its fifth and final run in the third when Lucas Johnson singled, took second on a walk to Carter Garnett, went to third on a base hit by Osborne and scored on a Noller sacrifice fly to center.
KADE Anderson picked up the Vikings only hit in the top of the seventh when Colfax played a conference baseball game in Elk Mound Friday, April 12. The Mounder won 5-0. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
Colfax, meanwhile was struggle to put the bat on the ball. Noller sat down all 15 Viking batters, eight via Ks, he faced in his five innings on the pitching mound. Borek came on in the sixth and retired the first three Colfax batters he threw to. The Vikings’ Kade Anderson broke up the combined no-hit bid with a lead-off single in the top of the seventh, but Borek got Mason Yarrington to fly to center for the first out and then struck out Hiitola and Orion Nichols in back-to-back plate appearances to end the game.
Lucas Johnson led the Mounders with a pair of hits and a run scored. Russo finished with that 2-RBI home run while Noller, who also had a pair of RBIs, Osborne, and Carter Vieth each finished with a hit.
Zach Hiitola suffered the throwing loss for Colfax as he pitched just the first two innings and surrendered four runs on three hits with two walks and a trio of Ks. Mason Yarrington tossed the final four innings for the Vikings and gave up a run on three hits and had six strikeouts and gave up two bases on balls.
Elk Mound vs. Bloomer
The Mounders led 5-0 and 6-2 when they visited Bloomer and Stuckert Field Tuesday, April 9, but had to hold off a late charge by the host Blackhawks to win 7-5.
Kaden Russo started on the mound and cruised through the first four inning as he surrendered just two runs on a pair of hits and three walks and struck out nine. Elk Mound was ahead 6-2 when he gave way to Brayden Borek to start the fifth.
Borek threw two scoreless innings and Elk Mound added a run in the top of the seventh for a 5-run advantage.
But, the Blackhawks looked to rally in their final at bat in the bottom of the seventh. Bloomer scored three times in that frame and closed to within 7-5 before Borek and the Mounders could record the final out to secure the two-run victory.
Despite some tense moments in that final frame, Russo ended up with the win.
Borek led the Elk Mound offense as he collected two of his team’s seven hits including a double. Jake Osborne also doubled while Russo, Noller, Carter Vieth and Peyton Vieth each finished with a base hit. Carter Vieth and Noller each scored a pair of runs.
Bloomer finished with nine hits.
Elk Mound vs. Glenwood City
A three-run homer off the bat of senior Kaden Russo sparked Elk Mound to a six-run first inning and eventually lifted it to a 12-2, 5-inning road victory over Glenwood City in the cool and breezy Monday afternoon, April 8 Dunn-St. Croix Conference contest.
The Mounders added a single run in the fourth and scored five times in the fifth to end the game early.
Russo went 3-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs to lead Elk Mound which finished with seven hits and seven walks against Hilltopper pitching. Singles were turned in by Jake Osborne, Carter Garnett, Victor Noller and Kamron Diermeier.
Diermeier started the game on the mound and gave up just two runs, both earned, on a pair of hits and three walks and finished with four strikeouts to pick up the win. Noller tossed a hitless and scoreless fifth inning with two Ks.
Glenwood City, who picked up both of its runs in the bottom of the fourth, finished with just four hits. Senior starter Steven Booth took the loss after he gave up six runs on four hits. He struck out three and walked a pair. Blake Fayerweather threw two inning and was credited with surrendering six runs on three hits.