ELY—In doubleheader action here last Friday, the Wolves struggled with Cherry’s pitching in a 1 p.m. contest, managing just four hits in a 13-2 drubbing.
The Wolves held the lead briefly after notching their only runs of the contest in the bottom of the first on a two-run homer by senior third baseman Rachel Coughlin. The Tigers rebounded in the second with three runs to take a one-run lead and the game then settled into a pitcher’s duel for the next three innings. Cherry added a single run in the fifth before breaking the game wide open with six runs in the sixth and three more in the top of the seventh to ten-run the Wolves.
“Hannah Penke did a great job keeping us in the game pitching,” said Ely Head Coach Cory Lassi. “I’m very happy with the way we played defense behind Hannah,” he added.
In addition to Coughlin’s homerun, Clare Thomas notched a hit and a run scored while Ella Perish and Madeline Kallberg each added a hit. Eighth-grader Peyton Huntington drew a walk and stole a base.
In the nightcap, the Wolves stayed even with Cook County until the seventh inning, when the Vikings put four on the board to take home the win, 15-11. “We need to limit these big innings,” said Lassi after the game.
The Wolves, again, took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but Cook County sent six runners across the plate in the second. The Wolves responded in the home half of the third inning, posting four runs to knot the game at six. Cook County added four more in the top of the fourth to jump to a 10-6 lead, only to watch as Ely added three runs in the bottom of the frame to close the gap to one run. Ely took a 11-10 lead in the bottom of the fifth, but the Vikings tied it up in the top of the sixth. “It was a back-and-forth game,” said Lassi.
Ely went scoreless in the sixth and seventh innings, allowing Cook County’s four run seventh to make the difference.
Despite the loss, the Wolves had a good day at the plate, posting 13 hits to ten for the Vikings. Kate Coughlin had a huge afternoon, going 3-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Eighth-grader Amelia Penke went 2-4, with two RBIs and a run scored, while Thomas went 2-5, with an RBI and three runs scored. Rachel Coughlin added a run scored on a hit, while Kallberg notched an RBI on a hit.
The Wolves will be back in action on Thursday, May 11, in another home doubleheader. They’ll travel to North Woods on Friday.