ELY— South Ridge proved to be the Timberwolves undoing in the Section 7A playoffs last week, as they fell twice to the Panthers to bow out of the double-elimination tournament. As reported last week, fifth-seeded South Ridge sent Ely to the elimination bracket after a 6-2 win in Ely on May 20.
In elimination bracket action on Thursday, the Panthers did it again, topping Ely 10-5 on the strength of a 15-hit offensive attack in the late innings.
“We played solid defensively,” said Head Coach Jeff MacKenzie, “but they showed up with the bats. They simply out hit us.”
The game looked to be a classic pitcher’s duel in the early innings. South Ridge picked up a single run in the second inning, but the game remained tight at 1-0 through five innings. But the Panthers exploded for seven runs in the top of the sixth to take an 8-0 lead. The Wolves responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, but South Ridge notched two more runs in the seventh to go up 10-2. A three-run Ely rally trimmed that gap to 10-5 but with the final out in the inning, the Wolves were headed home.
Despite the end of their tournament hopes, the Wolves ended their successful season with a record of 15-6. They’ll lose key seniors like Clare Thomas, Maija Mattson, and Riley Larson to graduation, but will return next year with a core group of experienced juniors and sophomores.