EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday or Friday throughout the calendar year.
By Jason Nihles, The Platteville Journal, Fennimore Times, Boscobel Dial
Trent Mumm, Sr., P, Platteville baseball
Last Thursday’s cool, windy — and at times rainy — conditions were far from ideal for baseball, but as is often the case for early-season prep baseball in Wisconsin.
But don’t tell Platteville’s Trent Mumm anything about the frigid weather.
Mumm was on fire, striking out eight, while allowing just two walks in a one-hit shutout, leading the Hillmen to a 1–0 victory over Dodgeville in a key Southwest Wisconsin Conference showdown.
“Trent has always been a workhorse, but this year he really has bought in to perfecting what he loves to do,” said Platteville head coach Randy Knight. “He was super locked in every inning when he gets like that, I know that it’s going to be a good night.”
Platteville (5–2, 2–0 SWC) scored the game’s only run in the bottom of the sixth inning on of perfectly executed squeeze bunt by junior Evan Johnson, the third bunt single by the Hillmen in the inning.
Senior Jonah Vorwald led off the bottom of the sixth with a bunt single of his own, stole second advanced to third on a bunt single to third base by junior Carson Opgenorth.
Opgenorth also had a single in the bottom of the first and finished 2-for-3 in the game.
Senior shortstop Lucas Ludlum had Platteville’s only other hit in the game — a single past third base — and stole a base in the third inning.
Mumm outdueled Dodgeville senior Nathan Johnson, a first-team All-SWC selection a year ago, as the win allowed Platteville to take over sole possession of first place.
Dodgeville (6–1, 1–1) fellow out of first place with its first loss of the season.
“It was a very big win for us to continue the path to our main goal,” added Knight. “It’s always good to see what you practice pay off in tight games.”
Nathan Johnson was good Thursday, but not quite as good as Mumm, a second-team All-SWC pitcher a year ago.
Dodgeville’s right-handed ace allowed struck out eight, walked one and allowed just the one run on five hits — three of which were bunt singles in the sixth — in six innings of work.
Bryce Crubach-Lockard broke up Mumm’s perfect game with two outs in the fourth and Joey Honerbaum was hit by a pitch. But Mumm got out of the jam of the game with he got Jack Graber to ground out to Johnson at second base to end the inning.
Mumm walked back-to-back batter with two outs in the sixth, but got out of that jam by striking out Honerbaum to end that threat.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Cole Herbst, So., Platteville boys golf
Herbst shot a 4-over par 75 (39–36) to share medalist honors with Oregon freshman Owen Purdin at last Saturday's Platteville Dick McKichan Invitational to lead the Hillmen to a sixth-place finish at the 15-team tournament. Herbst also shot a 76 to finish third in Division 2 at last Friday's Reedsburg Invitational, and a day earlier carded an 82 to win medalist honors at the Dodgeville SWC Meet at Dodge Point Country Club.
Lainee Pickel, Jr., OF, Platteville softball
Pickel went 2-for-3 and drove in the game-winning run in last Thursday's 2–1 SWC win over River Valley with a walk-off triple to deep left centerfield.
