Ely’s American Legion baseball team has opened the season with seven straight wins, but none were bigger than the one last Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Field.
In dramatic fashion, Ely downed powerhouse Duluth Lakeview 7-6, on the way to a four-game sweep and a first-place finish in the 38th Annual DQ Grill and Chill Classic.
It was the fourth DQ Classic title in five seasons for the home team, and comes as part of a perfect 7-0 start this summer for Post 248.
Ely returns eight starters and has an eye on a state tournament berth, and the performance over the weekend - particularly the win over Duluth Lakevew - may have been a huge step toward that goal.
“Anytime you can win a tournament it’s something special, and to do it at home and in the manner in which we beat Lakeview, makes it even more memorable,” said Ely Head Coach Tom Coombe.
Caid Chittum, back in the lineup after his freshman season at NCAA Division II Minnesota-Duluth, has helped fuel the perfect start and struck the key blow against Lakeview, which is composed of players from Class AAAA Duluth East.
Chittum’s one-out double to the right field gap plated Drew Johnson with the winning run and gave the hosts the walkoff victory, much to the delight of a loud home audience.
Ely had built a 5-0 lead, scoring five times in the bottom of the first on just one hit.
Four walks, an error, a Hunter Halbakken run-scoring hit, a successful squeeze bunt by Evan Leeson and a well-executed double steal, built a cushion.
Ely would need it as Lakeview chipped away against Chittum, and tied the game against reliever Cedar Holman in the fifth inning.
Duluth foiled an Ely squeeze attempt in the sixth inning, but earlier the Ely defense erased a runner on the basepaths with a hidden ball trick and another when Owen Marolt came in at catcher and gunned down a Lakeview runner attempting to steal.
That set the stage for the seventh, when Johnson led off with a walk and scored on Chittum’s full-count hit.
Ben Leeson worked the last two innings on the mound to gain the win.
Chittum and Marolt both had two hits for Ely.
Earlier that day, Halbakken fired a four-hit shutout, striking out 11, as Post 248 blanked Kenyon-Wanamingo 7-0.
Marolt was three-for-four with two runs batted in, while Evan Leeson doubled and scored twice.
Tyde Brecke also had two hits and Halbakken singled in a run.
Ely opened the tournament with a 13-3, five-inning rout against Proctor.
Marolt went all five innings, striking out six and giving up three hits.
Post 248 scored eight times in the bottom of the second inning to break things open, with Drew Johnson lining a two-run single and Chittum singling in a run.
Chittum wound up twofor- three with two runs scored and three RBI, with Johnson, Halbakken and Stig Majerus scoring two runs each.
In Sunday’s DQ Classic finale, Cedar Holman shook off a three-run first that was aided by two Ely errors, and tossed a four-hitter as Ely defeated International Falls 12-4 in five innings.
Chittum led the way, lining a run-scoring hit in the first and a two-run double to the gap in the second.
Brecke singled, scored twice and stole two bases, and Sean Merriman had a two-run single in the fourth. Evan Leeson also doubled and scored a run.
• Ely beat Cook County 8-5 on Monday night in Silver Bay, as Ben Leeson overcame some wildness, working five innings to get the pitching victory. Majerus tossed two innings of shutout ball to gain the save.
Evan Leeson’s two-run single helped provide valuable insurance in the sixth inning.
• Ely was set to play Minneapolis Northside, Cannon Falls and Robbinsdale Cooper this weekend as part of the team’s annual southern swing, while Cook County (3 p.m.) and Deer River (7:30 p.m.) are here Monday for a split doubleheader.
