ELY— After dominating opponents through the first several weeks of the high school baseball season, the Timberwolves are in the midst of a three-game slump that has tested the club’s depth and resilience and dropped their season’s record to 10-3.
The team’s ten-game winning streak came to a sudden end this past Saturday as Ely dropped a pair of games in a doubleheader. In game one, Red Lake County’s Will Gieseke silenced the Wolves’ bats, tossing a one-hit shutout with seven strikeouts in a 4-0 win. Caid Chittum’s first-inning double was the lone Ely hit, and the Wolves never threatened offensively.
Game two against Blackduck was marred by defensive struggles. Ely committed four errors and issued six walks, giving the Drakes the 7-2 victory. The Wolves jumped out early with back-to-back doubles from Chittum and Owen Marolt, followed by an RBI single from Evan Leeson, but the offense stalled from there. Marolt took the loss on the mound, surrendering five hits and five walks while striking out three.
The losing streak stretched to three games on Tuesday, as Ely fell 2-1 to Greenway-Nashwauk-Keewatin. Despite another strong pitching performance from Halbakken—who allowed just four hits and struck out six—the Wolves couldn’t muster enough offense to support his effort. GNK’s Austin Anderson was dominant, going the distance while giving up six hits and striking out seven.
Leeson and Chittum each had two hits for Ely, but run production continued to be an issue.
“Despite our current three-game losing streak, we’ve continued to pitch and play defense at a high level,” said Ely Head Coach Frank Ivancich. “The exception was the Blackduck game—we just gave up too many free bases with errors and walks.”
The Wolves continued to look impressive leading up to their slump. On Friday, the Wolves faced their toughest test of the season against a strong South Ridge squad. Ely rose to the challenge, rallying for a 5-3 win behind another impressive outing from Halbakken, who earned his sixth win in as many starts. He gave up just five hits and was backed by a stout defense that turned four double plays.
Down 2-0 in the fourth, the Wolves clawed back as Drew Johnson led off with a double, later scoring on a sacrifice fly from Chittum. With the bases loaded, Evan Leeson delivered a clutch infield single to drive in two more, giving Ely a 3-2 lead. After South Ridge tied it in the fifth, Ely responded in the sixth when Halbakken and Johnson crossed the plate on another timely single from Chittum.
Playing at Chisholm last Thursday, the Wolves notched a commanding 13-2 win over the Bluestreaks. Jack Davies was sharp on the mound, giving up just two runs over 6-2/3 innings while striking out nine batters. The junior scattered four hits and helped his team to its eighth straight win.
Ely was already leading comfortably when they exploded for six runs in the top of the seventh, with Hunter Halbakken, Drew Johnson, and Caid Chittum all delivering key RBI hits. Chittum finished the day with three hits and three RBIs, while Owen Marolt added two hits and two RBIs to lead the offensive attack.
The Wolves hope to draw on their experience and depth to get back on track as the regular season enters its final stretch. “We’d rather be struggling now than in two weeks when the playoffs start,” said Ivancich. “Our guys are facing pressure situations at the plate and learning from them. Caid continues to deliver, but we need the rest of the lineup to find their rhythm.”