AURORA— The Timberwolves improved to 8-1 on the baseball season this week with back-to-back wins over Mt. Iron-Buhl and Mesabi East.
In Aurora on Monday, Ely demonstrated patience and execution in a 3-1 win. Tied 1-1 heading into the top of the sixth, Ely manufactured two critical runs. A Ben Leeson single was followed by a Caid Chittum walk, and a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt by Owen Marolt moved the runners into scoring position. Stig Majerus delivered the go-ahead blow with a sharp RBI single, giving Ely the edge they needed.
Hunter Halbakken collected his fifth win of the season from the mound in a classic pitchers’ duel in which the two team’s hurlers combined for 16 strikeouts. Halbakken allowed just three hits on the afternoon. The Wolves managed just four hits against Mesabi East pitcher Zacary Norberg, but made them count.
In Saturday’s contest with the Rangers, Halbakken was nearly untouchable, firing a two-hit shutout while striking out nine Raiders batters. Ely’s defense backed him up in a big way, turning three double plays to snuff out any potential scoring threats.
“Hunter continues to control the strike zone and keep opposing hitters off guard,” said Ely Head Coach Frank Ivancich. “We played two excellent defensive games over the past few days. The one run we surrendered was scored on a miscommunication on a cutoff throw from the outfield. Turning four double plays in the past two games has most certainly been key to keeping opposing teams off the scoreboard.”
Offensively, Caid Chittum and Tyde Brecke led the way in Saturday’s contest as each collected two hits, while Owen Marolt added an RBI double that helped pace the Wolves to victory.
The wins leave the Wolves in a solid position as they head into a tougher stretch of the schedule.
“Starting Friday with South Ridge, our schedule does get tougher,” Ivancich said. “We’ll see how we respond to some more competitive opponents.” Before that, the Wolves were set to be in Chisholm on Thursday. They’ll take part in the Blackduck Invitational tournament on Saturday.