REGIONAL — North Woods put together a strong stretch of play last week, picking up three wins behind a mix of timely hitting, aggressive baserunning, and dominant pitching, including a doubleheader sweep of Stella Maris on Tuesday.
The Grizzlies opened with an 11-7 win over Mt. Iron-Buhl before riding a pair of contrasting performances to sweep the Sentinels, winning 7-3 in the opener and 16-0 in the nightcap.

Mt. Iron-Buhl
North Woods didn’t flinch after falling behind early, answering a two-run first inning by Mt. Iron-Buhl with five runs of their own and going on to an 11-7 win over the Rangers.
The Grizzlies struck quickly in the bottom of the first. Emarie Gibson got things started with a double, and after the bases filled, Zoey Burckhardt delivered the game’s biggest swing, ripping a bases-clearing triple to put North Woods in front. Kayla Dougherty followed with an RBI single, and Evalyn Thiel added a run-scoring triple to cap the inning.
North Woods added two more runs in the second, taking advantage of aggressive baserunning and a passed ball, and tacked on another in the third when Savannah Villebrun stole home to extend the lead to 8-2.
Mt. Iron-Buhl chipped away over the middle innings, scoring twice in the fourth and added two more in the fifth to pull within 9-7.
The Grizzlies answered in the sixth. Villebrun delivered an RBI single, and Anelise Brodeen later stole home to restore a four-run cushion.
Burckhardt went the distance in the circle, striking out 12 to help seal the win.

Stella Maris
Zoey Burckhardt struck out 13 and went the distance as North Woods opened its doubleheader road sweep with a 7-3 win over Stella Maris.
The Grizzlies broke through in the second inning, loading the bases when the first three batters were hit by pitches. Dougherty followed with an RBI single, and Thiel added another run-scoring hit before Ella Kruse came home on a steal of home to make it 3-0.
North Woods added two more in the fourth. Dougherty picked up another RBI on a groundout, and Villebrun later scored on a steal of home to extend the lead to 5-0.
Stella Maris cut into the lead in the bottom of the fourth, scoring twice on a triple and an error to make it 5-2.
The Grizzlies answered again in the fifth when Josie Gibson was hit by a pitch and later scored on a steal of home and tacked on an insurance run in the seventh as Brynn Chosa scored on another steal to push the lead to 7-2.
Stella Maris added a run in the bottom of the seventh, but Burckhardt recorded her 13th strikeout in the inning before ending the game on a grounder back to the circle.
Burckhardt allowed five hits and three runs, only one of them earned.
North Woods applied constant pressure on the basepaths with 10 stolen bases, while Dougherty finished with two RBIs.
North Woods completed the sweep in decisive fashion in the second game, rolling to a 16-0, five-inning win.
Villebrun set the tone, scoring the game’s first run on a steal in the opening inning and doing it again to start the third as the Grizzlies turned the game into a rout.
North Woods broke things open with four runs in the third, then erupted for six more in the fourth. Emarie Gibson highlighted the surge with a two-run home run, while Kruse and Thiel each delivered key hits.
The Grizzlies added five more runs in the fifth to cap the rout.
Brodeen tossed a five-inning shutout, allowing nine hits and striking out five.
North Woods finished with 16 hits on 30 at bats, including three doubles and four triples, with Thiel and Kruse each collecting three hits and Villebrun scoring three runs.