FIELD TWP- The North Woods softball team got off to a roaring start in sectional tournament play on Tuesday, obliterating the visiting Northeast Range Nighthawks 24-0.
The game was shortened to just three-and-a-half innings because of the lopsided score, making the Grizzlies’ offensive onslaught even more impressive.
In only three at-bats, the home team blasted 18 hits and racked up 21 RBIs. Addy Hartway went four-for-four at the plate with four RBIs, while Evelyn Brodeen topped Hartway in RBIs with five on only three hits. Skyler Yernatich and Addy Burckhardt also turned in three-hit performances for the Grizzlies.
North Woods pushed across 12 runs in the first inning and nine in the second before cooling down to just three in the third. Brodeen notched a second-inning inside-the-park home run, and two batters later River Cheney duplicated her feat.
Brodeen barely broke a sweat on the pitcher’s mound, tossing just 47 pitches over four frames. She gave up five hits and served up four strikeouts in the shutout win.
The third-seeded Grizzlies had a day off before traveling to Grand Rapids on Thursday for a second-round sectional game against sixth-seed Silver Bay, an 11-6 winner over Mt. Iron-Buhl. A Grizzlies win would set up a third-round tilt the same day against the Ely-Cherry winner. A semifinal game would be on Tuesday, May 31 in Cloquet, with a sectional champion to be crowned there on June 2.
Last week
The Grizzlies warmed up for sections with wins over International Falls, 8-0, and Cook County, 11-8, while dropping a 5-2 contest at Cherry.
Check for updates on the Grizzlies’ quest for a sectional championship and trip to state online at timberjay.com and the Timberjay Facebook page.