ELY— The Timberwolves seem to be hitting their stride early in the season, picking up two convincing wins this week. Dominant pitching, timely hitting, and sharp execution of small ball tactics made the difference in back-to-back wins over Littlefork-Big Falls and Silver Bay.
Playing in Aurora last Thursday, junior ace Hunter Halbakken turned in another gem on the mound, tossing a complete game two-hitter in Ely’s 5-1 win over the Vikings. Halbakken struck out 12 and allowed just two walks, with the only Littlefork run coming on an Ely error in the fifth inning. Halbakken’s performance marks his second strong outing of the season.
Offensively, Caid Chittum led the way, collecting a double and a triple while driving in three runs. Brothers Ben and Evan Leeson each contributed with two hits apiece, helping the Wolves secure the win.
Ely 11, Silver Bay 0
Ely carried that momentum into their home matchup Monday with Silver Bay, erupting late for an 11-0 shutout at Veterans Memorial Field.
Ely’s offense, which had struggled early in the season, broke through after four scoreless innings. Drew Johnson drew a walk to start the fifth, and after a Ben Leeson sacrifice bunt moved him over, Chittum delivered a clutch RBI single to open the scoring.
Ely exploded for four more runs in the sixth, stringing together five hits. Bunt singles from Evan Leeson and Tyde Brecke set the table for Johnson’s two-run double, followed by Ben Leeson’s RBI single.
The Wolves weren’t done yet. In the top of the seventh, Stig Majerus roped a three-run double, and Chittum and Ben Leeson followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to cap the 11-run offensive outburst.
On the mound, Owen Marolt kept the Mariners off balance with five strong innings, giving up just three hits and striking out seven. Chittum added two strikeouts in the sixth, and Jack Davies closed the game with two strikeouts in the seventh. Silver Bay’s Jake Carpenter, who had previously faced Ely in past Section 7A elimination games, kept the Wolves in check early, striking out nine over six innings, but couldn’t stop the late-inning surge.
“Nice couple of wins against teams we should beat,” said Ely Head Coach Frank Ivancich. “Hunter continues his impressive pitching, and Owen delivered an efficient performance against Silver Bay. We faced two tough arms in Tommy Larsen and Jacob Carpenter, both of whom have given us trouble in the past.”
With a roster not built on power hitting, Ely has embraced small ball to generate offense. “We executed four sacrifice bunts and dropped three bunt base hits in the last two games,” noted Ivancich. “We’re not going to hit many home runs or doubles, so being able to deliver some key bunts and play what the baseball experts call ‘small ball’ is key for our success.”
The Timberwolves will look to continue their momentum as they head into an extended home stand. They were set to host Deer River on Thursday with a 4 p.m. start and North Woods on Friday, with a 1 p.m. start. Cook County comes to town on Saturday with a 10 a.m. start, followed by South Ridge on Monday, with a 1 p.m. game time.