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Serving Northern St. Louis County, Minnesota

North Woods picks up back-to-back wins

David Colburn
Posted 5/26/21

FIELD TWP- The North Woods softball team could be hitting its stride just in time for the playoffs, picking up solid wins against Carlton and Northeast Range after a loss to Silver Bay.Last Thursday …

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North Woods picks up back-to-back wins

Posted

FIELD TWP- The North Woods softball team could be hitting its stride just in time for the playoffs, picking up solid wins against Carlton and Northeast Range after a loss to Silver Bay.
Last Thursday the Grizzlies notched seven hits against Silver Bay that didn’t produce any runs, but the Grizzlies were still hanging tough at end of the fifth inning, trailing 1-0. Then the Mariners exploded for six runs in the top of the sixth and shut down North Woods the rest of the way for the 7-0 win.
It was the sort of loss that stoked the fires a bit hotter on Friday when Carlton came knocking, and this one turned out to be the kind of close win the Grizzlies needed after Carlton took a 1-0 lead in the first.
While pitcher Evelyn Brodeen shackled the Bulldogs the rest of the way, North Woods needed a comeback, and they made it happen in the fifth inning.
The Grizzlies loaded the bases to start the inning, and the next three batters went down in order, not an obvious formula for a rally. But during those three final at-bats, Skyler Yernatich, Evelyn Brodeen, and Hannah Cheney all took advantage of Carlton errors to advance and score the runs the Grizzlies needed for a 3-1 win. Brodeen picked up the complete game win.
With the squeaker come-from-behind win under their belts, the Grizzlies stepped back onto their home diamond on Tuesday ready to take down Northeast Range, and they did so in overwhelming fashion, 14-2.
North Woods already had a firm 6-1 lead going into the bottom of the fourth and keeping a sharp eye on the Nighthawks’ pitcher paid huge dividends. The Grizzlies drew seven walks, and hit a single, double, and a three-run triple by Helen Koch in building an eight-run tsunami that swept the Nighthawks away without an answer.
Brodeen again notched the win and had three RBIs to help her own cause. Brynn Simpson and Skyler Yernatich were each credited with two RBIs.