ELY— The Timberwolves softball team improved to 9-4 on the season after sweeping the Rangers in a Monday afternoon doubleheader here.
In the opener, the Wolves rallied for eight runs in the final three innings to dump Mt. Iron-Buhl 10-3. Zoe MacKenzie notched the win from the mound, as she allowed eight hits and fanned three, allowing just one earned run.
Maija Mattson had a big day at the plate with two hits, two RBIs, and a run scored. Clare Thomas scored twice and batted a run in on two hits, while Lindi Zemke notched two RBIs and scored once on a hit. MacKenzie and Peyton Huntington each scored twice on a hit.
MacKenzie was back with another strong pitching performance as the Wolves took the nightcap 6-3. MacKenzie allowed just seven hits and struck out four, allowing no earned runs in seven full. The game went scoreless during the first run through the batting order. Both teams put a point on the board in the third but Ely kept the momentum going, adding two runs in the fourth, another in the fifth, and two more in the sixth. The Rangers’ fifth inning rally attempt fell short.
The Wolves shared the joy as four players, Huntington, Mattson, Zemke, and MacKenzie each notched an RBI. Huntington had two hits and two runs scored, while Amelia Penke and Julia Zgonc each notched two hits and a run scored as the Wolves racked up nine hits in six innings at the plate.
“The girls made some big plays defensively in these games that changed the momentum,” said Ely Head Coach Jeff MacKenzie. “I’m very happy with how things are coming together right before playoffs.
The Wolves suffered one of their only recent losses last Wednesday as a fifth-inning rally fell short in a 7-6 loss in Ely. The Silver Bay 0Mariners put two on the board in both the first and second innings and led 7-1 midway through the fifth. That’s when the Wolves put five on the board to close the gap. But they couldn’t muster any more offense in the final two innings.
Penke had a big day offensively with two RBIs and a run scored on two hits. Ella Perish added two RBIs on a hit, while Thomas scored twice and drove in a run on two hits.