Raiders losing skid hits four

After a win over Black River Falls broke a four-game losing streak to start their season, the Arcadia baseball team again finds themselves mired in a four-game skid since that victory.

The Raiders (1-8, 1-4 Coulee) suffered a blowout loss in Coulee Conference play to Viroqua to begin last week, then endured defeats at the hands of non-conference opponents Cochrane-Fountain City and Fall Creek.

Arcadia led 2-0 on the road against Viroqua last Thursday before thunderstorms caused the game to be postponed in the bottom of the third.

The week ahead for the Raiders includes two home games and two road games: against rival G-E-T on Thursday, at Elk Mound on Friday, at Independence/Gilmanton on Monday and home against Osseo-Fairchild on Tuesday.

Viroqua 18 Arcadia 0

Very little went right for the Raiders in their five-inning loss to Viroqua last Monday at Parker Hagg Field.

The Blackhawks (2-2, 2-1) seized a 3-0 lead in the top of the first and broke open the floodgates with a nine-run rally in the third inning. They added another run in the fourth and a final five-run rally in the top of the fifth to ensure a mercy-rule victory.

Viroqua’s Jack Olson and Tanner Bast each collected four hits apiece, driving in four and three runs, respectively. Olson also tossed five shutout innings on the mound, striking out 10 in the process.

Ben Lightfoot and Juan Barrientos had the only hits of the evening for Arcadia.

C-FC 7 Arcadia 3

A quiet night at the plate and fielding miscues contributed to the Raiders’ loss to the Pirates (3-4) last Tuesday in Arcadia.

The evening’s critical rally came when C-FC scored four times in the top of the third, where Arcadia committed four straight errors. The Pirates also had a run in the top of the first and two more in the seventh.

Arcadia’s Deklyn Grzadzielewski and Carter Wegman each scored on a wild pitch in the first and third innings, respectively, and Carter Wozney was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, but the Raiders could not push a potential late rally any further.

Wegman, Austin Hughes and Max Blaschko each singled for the Raiders.

Fall Creek 11 Arcadia 1

Though they drew first blood, the Raiders couldn’t keep pace with the Crickets (7-3) in what turned out to be a five-inning loss this past Friday in Fall Creek.

Arcadia got on the board in the top of the first thanks to an Austin Hughes RBI single that brought home Carter Wegman in what turned out to be the team’s only hit of the game.

Fall Creek scored in every inning, including four runs in the bottom of the second and three runs in the fifth that brought the mercy rule into effect.