ELY — The Ely Timberwolves opened the Section 7A baseball playoffs in emphatic fashion on Tuesday, overwhelming the Cook County Vikings 23-1 in a game shortened by the mercy rule.
As the tournament’s No. 2 seed, Ely earned the right to host its portion of the sectional bracket, and the Wolves quickly made themselves at home.
Ely exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the first inning, sending 14 batters to the plate while taking advantage of five hits and three Cook County errors. The Wolves kept pouring it on from there, adding seven runs in the third inning and eight more in the fourth to put the game well out of reach.
Evan Leeson led Ely’s 15-hit attack with three hits, while Gunner Skager and Owen Marolt added two hits each.
Hunter Halbakken, Jack Davies, and Kooper Dostert combined on the mound for Ely, allowing four hits while striking out six Viking batters.
The victory advances Ely into a Thursday winners bracket matchup against No. 3 seed Cherry.