Only the top-two teams in Section 7A will remain on their home field prior to the Final Four of the upcoming high school baseball playoffs.
The Ely Timberwolves remain in the running for one of those two slots, and a pair of wins earlier this week were pivotal in that effort.
Senior Hunter Halbakken gained his fifth win of the spring Tuesday, and he was backed by an offense that pounced on Greenway/Nashwauk- Keewatin mistakes in a 13-2, six-inning win at Nashwauk.
The day before, senior lefty Jack Davies fanned 12 batters in a 15-1 rout of Littlefork- Big Falls at Veterans Memorial Field.
Those back-to-back wins helped the Wolves recover from a disastrous Saturday at Blackduck, where they had back-to-back shutout losses, and Ely improved to 8-5 in the spring.
Heading into the final week-plus of the regular season, the Wolves were locked in a tight battle with Silver Bay and Cherry for the number- two spot in the section, behind defending champion South Ridge.
Home games this weekend in the Veterans Memorial Showcase, as well as a Tuesday tilt at Cherry, were likely to determine where the Wolves would fall in the 7A seedings, which will determine home-field advantage for the tournament that begins May 26.
Ely took advantage of 10 walks issued by GNK pitchers Tuesday, and scored in every inning but the first.
The Wolves scored three second-inning runs, with Tyde Brecke’s bunt single the only hit, and that set the tone for the win over the Class AA Titans.
Senior Drew Johnson had a run-scoring single in the fourth inning, while Evan Leeson, Sean Merriman and Drew Marolt all added run-scoring hits in the fifth.
Halbakken helped his own cause with two hits and two runs batted in, while Leeson scored twice and Johnson scored three runs. Brecke also finished with two hits.
On the mound, Halbakken was efficient, working five and one-third innings, allowing three hits and issuing just one walk. The only run he allowed was unearned.
• Ely blew out Littlefork- Big Falls on a cold and windy Monday afternoon at the home ballpark, putting the game away early with seven runs in the first, on just three hits.
Marolt was two-for-two with three runs scored and freshman Parker Niskala drove in three runs. Sophomore Grant Chittum drove in two runs for the winners.
Davies dominated on the mound for the Wolves, tossing a two-hitter and recording a career-high 12 strikeouts.
• Defending Class A champion Red Lake County roughed up the Wolves 10-0 in five innings on Saturday.
Ely had five hits but those were scattered as winning pitcher Cole Taggart notched the shutout with six strikeouts.
Niskala doubled for the Wolves and Marolt took the loss on the mound, giving up 12 hits.
In the second game, Blackduck pulled away for an 11-0, five-inning win, roughing up pitchers including Leeson and Niskala.
• The Wolves rolled to a 14-1, five-inning victory over Chisholm on May 7.
Ely banged out 14 hits, with Marolt going three-for-four with four runs batted in.
Chittum also added three hits with three RBI, with Merriman and Brecke contributing two hits each.
Merriman also scored three runs, and both Johnson and Stig Majerus crossed home plate twice.
Halbakken had little trouble with the Bluestreaks’ batters, firing a four-hitter with one walk and eight strikeouts.
