ELY— The Timberwolves are suddenly dominating on the softball mound as they notched two more double-digit wins this week, against Two Harbors and Chisholm.
Playing at home last Friday, Wolves sophomore pitcher Zoe MacKenzie went the distance, allowing just one earned run on six hits, while fanning seven, as Ely outdistanced Two Harbors 12-2.
Ely freshman Amelia Penke had a huge day at the plate, going 3-d, including a double and a triple as she scored once and drove in two more runs. Junior Clare Thomas went 3-4, including a double, notching a run scored and an RBI in the effort. Sophomore Ella Perish also notched two RBIs and scored twice on two hits, while MacKenzie notched two RBIs on two hits. Senior Hannah Penke added an RBI and a run scored and junior Maija Mattson notched an RBI and a run scored on two hits.
MacKenzie dominated from the mound in Chisholm last Thursday as Ely came on late in the game to rout the Bluestreaks 15-0. MacKenzie allowed just three hits in seven innings pitched and notched 11 strikeouts, her most dominating performance of the season so far.
Hannah Penke led the way for the Wolves on offense, notching two RBIs and two runs scored on two hits, including a double and a triple. Thomas scored a run and drove in another on two hits, including a triple. Freshman Peyton Huntington scored twice and drove in a run on two hits. She was joined by fellow freshman Grace Flynn, who notched an RBI and two runs scored on two hits. Amelia Penke scored three runs and notched on RBI on a single.
“I felt like both of these games had a similar feel,” said Ely Head Coach Cory Lassi. “I felt like the final score didn’t indicate how close the game was. In both games we jumped out to an early lead, but we had to battle defensively and make plays to keep those leads. We did a good job chipping away at the plate and putting pressure on them on the bases. We eventually broke through with big innings. I have been very happy with how well we are playing defensively. I feel like we are a very tough team when we play defense like we have the last three games.”
The Wolves were set to test their talents on Thursday, when they head to North Woods. They’ll be back in action on Saturday at Grand Marais, when they take on Cook County. They’ll be back home on Monday to host International Falls.