Wolves defeat NE Range in five
by Tom Coombe
After a rough outing on Monday, the Ely Timberwolves bounced back with a vengeance.
Mason Davis’ three-run double fueled a six-run fourth inning and Ely went on to a 12-2, five-inning victory over rival Northeast Range Wednesday at Veterans Memorial Field.
The Wolves improved to 8-9 and rebounded from a disastrous Monday, when they fell 21-0 in five innings to Eveleth-Gilbert.
Junior Bryce Fairchild and sophomore Logan Loe combined to contain the Nighthawks, and the Ely offense warmed up after a pair of quiet innings against Northeast Range lefty Isaac Hendrickson.
Davis, who also scored twice, walked with the bases loaded to make it 3-1 and Drew Marolt’s two-run single provided some cushion.
In the fourth, the floodgates opened as junior Jacob Towley singled in a run and Davis followed with his key blow.
Towley, Lane Anderson and Erron Anderson all scored twice for the Wolves, and Harry Simons added a run-scoring double.
Eveleth-Gilbert rode the pitching of Brandon Lind to a lopsided win over the Wolves on Monday.
The Class AA Golden Bears did all their damage in two frames, scoring nine runs in the third and 12 more in the fourth.
Ely got its biggest win of the season Saturday night, in the finale of the Veterans Memorial Showcase.
The Wolves erased a 9-0 deficit and came back to beat International Falls 10-9, with Erron Anderson’s seventh-inning single plated Loe with the winning run.
Sophomore Gunnar Hart, who came on in relief, shut down the Broncos when it counted and secured his first career varsity pitching win.
At the plate, Erron Anderson finished with three hits and two RBI, including the game-winner, while Davis had three hits and scored two runs. Junior Eddie Prijatel had two hits for the Wolves, and Loe wound up with three.
The win over International Falls capped a Saturday sweep for the hosts.
Ely downed Cook County 12-5 as Towley went three-for-four at the plate with three runs scored, and captured the pitching win.
The junior righthander gave up four hits in five innings
Erron Anderson drove in three runs for the winners, with both Davies and Prijatel winding up with two hits and two runs scored. Junior Chase Sandberg finished with two RBI.
On the opening day of the tournament, the Wolves dropped decisions to both Carlton and Silver Bay.
Carlton beat the Wolves 11-6 despite two hits each from Davies and Joey Bianco.
A 3-0 lead didn’t hold up against Silver Bay, as the Mariners scored the next 10 runs in a 10-3 romp.
Ero Wallin homered for the Mariners (14-1), who have the top record of any Section 7A team.
Senior Lane Anderson had three hits for the Wolves, with Davies and Prijatel getting two apiece.
The Wolves are at Littlefork-Big Falls Tuesday and visit Two Harbors Thursday to close out the regular season.
Playoff action begins June 1 with 7A games at Aurora and Hibbing.
