Ely Junior Leaguers wrap up season
JUNIORS WRAP UP SEASON - Ely’s Junior League baseball team participated in last weekend’s Iron Range Baseball playoffs at International Falls. Pictured are (front, l-r): Chase Sandberg, Jason Kerntz, Eddie Prijatel, Joey Bianco, Sammy Prijatel, Sawyer Klingsporn; (back, l-r): Coach Aaron Donais, Harry Simons, Jon Hakala, Max Dean, Iver Lepisto, Bryce Fairchild, Dylan Fenske. Not pictured: Mason Davis, Jacob Towley, Cameron Kienitz, Caleb Janeksala, Mitch Peterson, Lane Anderson
After dipping into Ely’s Little League roster for reinforcements, but Ely’s Junior League baseball team wrapped up its season last weekend at a tournament in International Falls.
The Ely Juniors went 0-3 at the Iron Range Baseball league playoffs, but three 12-year-olds and an 11-year-old played for the 13-and-14-year-old squad.
Vacations and family trips depleted Ely’s roster, prompting the Little League call-ups for the end-of-year tournament.
In the opener, Ely fell 12-8 to Hibbing II.
Ely scored five times in the top of the fifth to close the gap to 9-8, with Eddie Prijatel’s two-run single the key blow of the inning.
Hibbing countered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth for valuable insurance.
Max Dean went three-for-three with four runs batted in for Ely, while Harry Simons, Jon Hakala, Joey Bianco and Sawyer Klingsporn had the team’s other hits.
Bryce Fairchild was tagged with the pitching loss. with Prijatel and Simons coming on in relief.
Eventual consolation champion Grand Rapids downed Ely 12-2 in four innings on Saturday morning.
Hakala and Dylan Fenske scored Ely’s only runs, while Fenske and Dean had the lone hits.
Fenske was the losing pitcher.
Ely was more competitive in an 11-6 loss to Greenway, also on Saturday.
Dean and Fenske both scored twice, while Prijatel was two-for-two at the plate. Dean and Klingsporn also added hits while Simons was the losing pitcher. Iver Lepisto worked in relief.
• In the regular season finale, Ely downed Mesabi East 7-5 as Mason Davis pitched three innings of shutout relief and Jacob Towley went two-for-two with three runs batted in.
Simons, Dean and Lane Anderson all scored twice each for the winners, and Towley worked the first four innings on the hill, giving up three hits, walking one and recording four strikeouts.
Davis did not give up a hit in his three innings. He fanned two.
