BARNUM — North Woods opened Section 7A tournament play Tuesday with a commanding 10-0 shutout win over Carlton-Wrenshall before battling back from an early nine-run deficit in a 9-5 loss to top-seeded Barnum later in the day.
The ninth-seeded Grizzlies controlled their opener against the Raptors behind a strong all-around performance from Zoey Burckhardt and sharp situational defense.
Burckhardt tossed a complete-game shutout, striking out seven while scattering five hits and allowing just one walk over seven innings. She also helped lead the offense, finishing with two hits and two RBIs.
North Woods gradually pulled away after breaking through with three runs in the second inning. Savannah Villebrun opened the scoring with an RBI double before Lauren Burnett followed later in the inning with a two-run double to make it 3-0.
The Grizzlies added two more runs in the third. Evalyn Thiel tripled home Josie Gibson before Ella Kruse added an RBI single later in the inning to stretch the lead to 5-0.
North Woods continued to apply pressure the rest of the afternoon, adding three more runs in the fifth inning and two in the seventh.
The Grizzlies also made several key defensive plays to erase Carlton-Wrenshall scoring threats. North Woods cut down a runner attempting to score in the first inning and repeatedly stranded Raptors baserunners throughout the game.
Thiel finished 3-for-4 with a triple, double, and RBI, while Burnett added two hits and two RBIs. Gibson scored three runs for the Grizzlies.
One disastrous inning proved too much for North Woods to overcome later Tuesday as the Grizzlies fell 9-5 to the Bombers in the second round.
Barnum scored all nine of its runs in the opening inning against North Woods starter Anelise Brodeen, capitalizing on a string of extra-base hits, walks, defensive miscues, and aggressive baserunning to quickly seize control.
But after the difficult opening frame, North Woods responded impressively.
The Grizzlies held Barnum scoreless over the final five innings while gradually chipping away at the deficit. Burckhardt entered in relief after the first inning and with strong defense helped shut down the tournament’s top seed the rest of the way, allowing just one hit over five scoreless innings while striking out three.
North Woods finally broke through in the sixth when Thiel blasted a solo home run to left field.
The Grizzlies added four more runs in the seventh inning and continued pressuring Barnum to the final out. Sophie Bangs opened the rally with an RBI triple before Burnett added an RBI single.
Thiel later drove home two more runs with a double to cap the scoring.
Thiel turned in a huge offensive performance for North Woods with a home run, double, and three RBIs. Burnett added two hits and an RBI, while Bangs finished with a triple and RBI.
North Woods was scheduled to face South Ridge in an elimination game on Thursday.