Heartbreaking losses bring stellar summer season to an end
During the course of the summer, winning close games was the trademark of sorts for Ely’s American Legion baseball.
But the tables were turned last weekend at the Division II State Tournament in Glenwood.
Twice in less than 24 hours, Post 248 came out on the short end of tightly-contested and dramatic state tournament contests.
Parkers Prairie scored two unearned runs to edge out Ely 2-1 in a July 31 quarterfinal matchup, while Post 248 was unable to hold on to a 4-0 lead and dropped Saturday’s consolation round tilt to Rushford-Peterson 7-5.
The losses ended a remarkable summer for Ely, which reached the state tournament for a second straight year and finished 21-4 overall.
Both games were evenly matched and came down to a break or two.
In the opener, Parkers Prairie scratched three hits, one an infield hit and another blooper to right, and got the help of a costly error to score two runs against Ely starter Hunter Halbakken.
Ely cut the lead in half when Evan Leeson’s single plated Drew Johnson in the bottom of the third inning.
But that was it for scoring the rest of the day.
Halbakken held Parker Prairie in check, finishing with a five-hitter and eight strikeouts. He didn’t issue a walk.
Ely, meanwhile, was stymied by Parkers Prairie’s CJ Woodruff, who went the distance and also tossed a five-hitter.
In the seventh, Tyde Brecke reached base with a bunt single, but Woodruff retired the next two batters and escaped with the win.
Parkers Prairie, which finished 30-7, went on to place third in the state tournament.
“It was an outstanding baseball game in every way,” said Ely Head Coach Tom Coombe. “There was great pitching on both sides, some excellent defensive plays, and those games always tend to come down to a play or two. They scratched out a couple of key hits when they had guys on base, and we hit some balls well but right at their defense.”
The heartbreaker put Ely into the consolation round for a second straight year, and the game got off to a solid start, with Drew Johnson’s double to the gap igniting a four-run inning.
It could have been even more, as Johnson came up with the bases loaded and two outs and hit a scorching ball to the right that was chased down by a Rushford- Peterson outfielder.
“That play turned out to be huge,” said Coombe. “That ball was an inch or two from going by the rightfielder and if it does we’re up 7-0 and probably have them finished off.”
It was Rushford-Peterson’s turn, however, in the bottom of the third inning.
With one out, a hit batter set the stage for a series of hits and an error.
Before Ely knew it, Rushford- Peterson had scored six runs to take a 6-4 lead.
“They caught us a little off guard,” said Coombe. “We were in cruise control a little bit and all of a sudden they got some balls to fall. We had a chance to get out of the inning with a pickoff play, and I thought we had the guy, but the umpire didn’t see it that way. That took some starch out of us also and they came back and got three more runs after that.”
Ely, however, wasn’t done. The deficit was cut to one in the fourth when Johnson walked and came around to score on a Chittum double.
With two outs, Owen Marolt singled but Chittum was cut down at the plate on a throw from right field.
Rushford-Peterson added an insurance run to make it 7-5 and then escaped disaster in the sixth, when Ely loaded the bases but came up empty.
Post 248 also put two runners aboard in the seventh but Grant DeGeorge got the save, ending the contest with a strikeout.
Ely left 10 runners aboard in the game, with Chittum, Marolt and Halbakken all finishing with two hits.
Johnson scored twice, and both Evan and Ben Leeson had run-scoring hits.
Chittum suffered his first pitching loss of the season, going the distance and notching 10 strikeouts.
The loss ended one of the best seasons, at least winning percentage-wise, in Ely Legion baseball history.
The group won 21 of 25 games and the two players in their final season of eligibility - Chittum and Ben Leeson - played in four state tournaments each during their Junior and Senior Legion careers.
“I can’t say enough about what those two have contributed to our program,” said Coombe. “Both started for several years and were part of some very good teams. Caid has to be one of the best infielders to ever come through the program and Ben was an excellent, excellent catcher. Both are playing college baseball and will have success at that level too. And our guys coming back, we have 14 of 16 returning. I think they as a group can look to next year and beyond with a lot of anticipation.”
