Toppers’ diamond boys lose trio of games

The Road Warriors, also known as the Glenwood City baseball team, continued to trek the Dunn-St. Croix circuit.

After a brief respite earlier in the week, the Hilltoppers played in Mondovi Thursday, were in Elk Mound last Friday to face the defending conference co-champion Mounders and took on the Vikings in Colfax this past Monday.

Unfortunately, Glenwood City came up on the wrong side of three high scoring contests.

Mondovi and Elk Mound both ten-runned Glenwood City. The Buffaloes won a 24-14 decision April 26 and the Mounders prevailed 12-2 the following day, April 27. Colfax nipped Glenwood City 11-9 on the final day of April.

The Elk Mound and Colfax games marked the start of conference play. 

With the three losses, the Hilltoppers fell to 1-4 overall and 0-2 in Dunn-St. Croix action.

Glenwood City will take to the road for the sixth straight time when it heads south to face Spring Valley in a planned doubleheader on Thursday. The Toppers will host Pepin/Alma next Monday, May 7 for their home opener.

Mondovi

The Buffaloes scored runs in every inning to take a 24-14 win in six innings over the visiting Hilltoppers Thursday, April 26.

Mondovi scored early and often.

After plating just a single run in the bottom of the first inning, Mondovi plated seven runs in the second, three in the third, four runs each in the fourth and fifth innings and five in the sixth to complete their scoring and ten-run the Toppers.

Glenwood City found itself trailing 8-0 before it cracked a the scoreboard with a pair of runs in the third when Hadin DeSmith led off with a single and Jake Kopacz followed with a walk. Both players scored.

Trailing 15-2 as the contest headed into the fifth frame, Glenwood City’s offense finally came alive, collecting 10 of its 13 hits in that inning including six straight to tally a dozen runs and pull within a single run of the host Buffaloes.

But Mondovi plated nine runs in the next two innings to take the win.

Bryce Fayerweather, Tanner Davis, Gavin Janson and Carson Strong each had a pair of hits.    

Elk Mound

Elk Mound hurler Ethan Kjellberg allowed Glenwood City just a pair of runs on five hits in a 12-2 Mounders’ victory last Friday, April 27 at the Elk Mound Lions Park.

In contrast, the Toppers’ pitching staff surrendered 15 hits including three for extra bases.

The defending conference co-champs scored pair in the bottom of the first on just one hit and two GC errors.

Glenwood City was able to tie the game in the top of the second inning. With one out, seniors Jack Nadeau, Brad Kessler and Marcus Hurtgen laced three consecutive singles. Hurgten’s shot brought in Nadeau to score and Kessler followed when he was singled home by another senior, Jake Kopacz.

But the Mounders took both runs back in the bottom of the frame and added two more in the third and fifth innings and four in the fourth to win by ten runs in five innings.

Hurtgen, DeSmith, Kopacz, Nadeau and Kessler had Glenwood City’s hits.

Colfax

In a game that saw four ties and five lead changes, Colfax ended up having the final say when it hosted Glenwood City in a Dunn-St. Croix baseball showdown in Colfax April 30.

The Vikings scored a pair of runs in the bottom of seventh inning of Monday’s game to nip the Hilltoppers, 11-9, in what was a great contest from start to finish.

Although the Hilltoppers were outhit 13-4, they were able to take advantage of six Vikings’ errors and seven base on balls to manufacture runs.

Glenwood City, who scored two runs in the first and single runs in the second and third, held the lead until Colfax knotted the game at four with a pair of runs in the bottom of the third.

The Toppers scored twice more to open the fourth only to have the Vikings counter with a pair in their half of the frame.

Colfax took its first lead with a run in the fifth but Glenwood City tied the contest when Jake Nadeau singled to lead off the sixth and scored.

Colfax added two runs in the bottom half to take a 9-7 lead into the seventh and final inning.

The Toppers looked to push the game to extra innings when Jake Kopacz and Carson Strong  both reached base and scored to make it a nine all contest.

But the host responded with three hits including a double to plate two runs for the 11-9 walk off win.

Marcus Hurtgen, Bryce Fayerweather, Carson Strong and Jake Nadeau had Glenwood City’s hits.