Ely’s Junior Legion baseball team may have to shake off a bit of rust as postseason play begins.
When Post 248 takes the field Sunday, at Cherry, to begin play in the Division II Northeast Substate Tournament, it will be only the team’s third outing this month.
A combination of factors, from bad weather, to the wildfire situation, to opponents not being able to field teams, has kept Ely largely on the sidelines this month.
Post 248 meet Mt. Iron-Buhl 4-2 in Wednesday’s regular season finale, but that wrapped up a regular season with a program-record 12 games.
It was a record in that it was the smallest schedule in program history, with numerous postponements and cancellations throughout the summer.
Yet Ely is 11-1 overall and will have the top seed in the eight-team, double-elimination tournament, which starts with four games at Cherry and four more at Proctor on Sunday.
The playoffs continue during the week at Proctor, with the finals slated for Sunday, Aug. 2.
Ely is gunning for a third straight substate title and third consecutive state tournament berth, but Aitkin could stand in Post 248’s way.
In early-June, Aitkin snuck out a 9-7 win over Ely during the z’Up North Junior Legion Classic. That remains Ely’s only loss on the season.
If the top seeds continue to win in the tournament, Ely and Aitkin would have a rematch on Tuesday at Proctor.
The state tournament is slated for Aug. 7-9 at Parkers Prairie.
• Back-to-back doubles by Sean Merriman and Grant Chittum got Ely on the board in the second inning, and four Ely pitchers combined to keep Mt. Iron-Buhl in check on Wednesday.
Chittum’s second-inning double plated Merriman and gave Ely a 1-0 lead.
The visitors added two more runs in the third, with Evan Leeson doubling home Tyde Brecke, and Leeson coming around to score on a wild pitch.
Brecke singled and scored a run on an Owen Marolt sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Marolt had a one-twothree first on the mound with two strikeouts, while Cedar Holman worked two innings and fanned three.
Merriman recorded the win, going three inning, giving up five hits and fanning three.
Parker Niskala earned the save, throwing a scoreless seventh.
• Ely is set to take on Mt. Iron-Buhl at 1:30 p.m. Sunday in a playoff rematch.
An Ely victory would result in a game at 6:30 p.m. against either Taconite or Cook County.
Aitkin has the top seed in the opposite side of the draw, followed by Esko, Proctor an Barnum-Moose Lake.
