Mondovi softball fields tough 0-3 week
by Julia Jehn and Beth Kraft
The Mondovi girls softball team suffered three losses last week, dropping the Lady Buffs to 7-16 overall to wrap up regular season play.
Mondovi led 2015 Dunn-St. Croix Conference champ Elk Mound in the early going on Monday, May 18, but errors in the game’s final inning cost the Buffaloes, leading to an 8-3 loss. The squad’s other two losses of the week were a high-scoring affair against Saint Croix Central that ended in a 14-13 decision and a 10-3 loss to Blair-Taylor in non-conference play.
Against Elk Mound, the Lady Buffs broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning when senior Gabby Scott hit a single up the middle to score Paige Marsh, who belted a triple in her at-bat. The Mounders countered with a run apiece in the fifth and sixth innings, but it was the seventh inning that buried the Buffaloes. The home squad gave up six runs in the frame and reached a total of five errors for the contest, overshadowing a solid effort by freshman pitcher Paige Platter, who allowed just four hits and two earned runs in seven innings in the circle.
Mondovi attempted a comeback run in the bottom of the seventh thanks to two runs on a double by junior Anna Accola, but it just wasn’t enough to overtake the Mounders.
Leading hitters for the Buffaloes were Julia Jehn, who went 2-for-4 with a double, and McKenzie Akina with two hits on the afternoon.
Mondovi continued the homestand on Tuesday, May 19, against SCC only to lose another heartbreaker.
The Lady Buffs had a rough second inning defensively, allowing the Lady Panthers to score seven runs. Saint Croix Central ran three more girls in the third inning and four in the sixth. The Lady Buffs got rolling in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring three runs. In the consecutive innings, Mondovi scored ten more runs. They were only one short of going to extra innings.
Senior Jacquelyn Laursen took the loss in the circle for Mondovi, giving up four hits, eight runs and walking 12 batters.
At the plate, Scott led the Mondovi offense with a 2-for-5 effort for 3 RBI. Doubles were tallied by Akina and Emily Weiss, who batted 2-for-3 and 3-for-5, respectively, with 2 RBI apiece. Marsh also added 2 RBI.
Mondovi then closed out its regular season schedule at Blair-Taylor on Thursday, May 21. The Buffaloes scored all three of their runs in the first four innings, trailing the Wildcats by two after four innings of play. But the bats went silent for Mondovi for the remainder of the game while B-T added five more runs to take the win.
Platter suffered the loss in the circle, allowing 11 hits, nine earned runs and giving up five walks with two strikeouts to her credit in six innings of work.
Accola, Laursen and Akina all batted 2-for-4 with Accola recording a double.
Regional play began this week, pitting No. 7 Mondovi against second-seeded Elk Mound for a rematch of last week’s match-up in the opening round of WIAA Division 3 regional play on Tuesday, May 26, at Elk Mound. A win would set the Buffaloes against the winner of the No. 3 Boyceville/No. 6 Eau Claire Regis game for a regional semifinal match-up on Wednesday, May 27. The regional final would be played on Friday, May 29.
On a lighter note, Wednesday, May 20, was the JV’s final practice, so volunteer coach and UW-Eau Claire softball alumni Emily Reugemer decided to host the first annual Mondovi Softball Olympics.
This event included individual challenges like the longest throw, longest off-tee hit and longest sunflower seed spit. Team events included a throwing relay race and a fun, but challenging, relay that tested the girls on their crab walks and bear crawls, to name a few.
