FIELD TWP- Riding the arm of starter Owen Marolt, the Timberwolves notched a 5-1 come-from-behind victory over the Grizzlies on Tuesday at North Woods.
Both Marolt and Grizzlies’ starter Louie Panichi had to work out of bases-loaded jams in the first inning.
After North Woods fielders retired the first two Ely batters on ground outs, Panichi loaded the bases with three consecutive walks, but the Wolves failed to capitalize as Elliot Levens popped out.
North Woods worked Marolt for a pair of walks around two strikeouts before Levi Chaulklin got the game’s first hit with a sharp liner to center for a single, loading the bases. Marolt got out of the jam moments later with a nifty pick move to first to catch Chaulklin off base and end the scoring threat.
The Grizzlies took the lead in the bottom of the third after Carson Johnson reached base on an error by Ely shortstop Caid Chittum. Talen Jarshaw laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Johnson into scoring position, and Johnson came home on a sharply hit ball by Alex Burckhardt that resulted in another Ely error. Panichi flied out to end the inning with the Grizzlies up 1-0.
The Wolves struck back in the top of the fifth. Panichi hurled a pair of strikeouts around a single, then hit Ben Leeson with a pitch to put a second runner on base. Having thrown a high number of pitches in the early innings, North Woods Head Coach R.J. Kruse was forced to pull lefty Panichi and turn to Jarshaw for relief. Jarshaw hit the first batter he faced, Deegan Richards, to load the bases with two out. Jarshaw struggled to find control, walking the next two hitters to push two runs across the plate. Jarshaw finally zeroed in and caught Sam Leeson looking at a third strike, but the damage was done as the Wolves took a 2-1 lead.
After going down in order in the bottom of the inning, the Grizzlies found themselves in a jam in the top of the sixth. Jack Davies and Drew Johnson drew walks to open the inning, and Chittum laid down a perfect bunt to load the bases with no outs. But Drew Marolt hit a bunt back to Jarshaw, who threw to Panichi, who was now playing at catcher, for the force out at home. Panichi then threw a rocket to Chaulklin at first to get Marolt. Ben Leeson then flied out to center as the Wolves squandered a golden opportunity.
But Ely was back in the hunt for insurance runs in the seventh, and this time they produced. Richards walked to open the frame, and Levens followed with a double to right center. Owen Marolt drew a walk to load the bases, and then a fielding error on a bunt by Sam Leeson brought two runs across the plate. Kruse went deeper into his pitching staff at that point, sending Chaulklin to the mound.
A bunt back to the mound by Davies scored the third run of the inning. Jarshaw, having moved to third, made two strong plays for outs to end the inning with the Wolves up 5-1.
The Grizzlies couldn’t answer in their final at bat, going down in order to take the loss.
Marolt looked sharp as he fanned eight Grizzlies’ batters and gave up just two hits, setting the Grizzlies down in order in four of the seven innings he pitched. With the win the Wolves evened their record at 3-3, while the Grizzlies remain winless at 0-4.