TWO HARBORS — Ely finally flipped the script against Mt. Iron-Buhl last Thursday and in the process kept its season alive in the Section 7A softball tournament.
After dropping two close regular season games to the Rangers, the Timberwolves put together one of their sharpest performances of the season in a 3-0 elimination bracket victory.
The Wolves leaned on a dominant outing from pitcher Zoe MacKenzie and a huge offensive performance from Ella Perish to earn the shutout win.
MacKenzie was in control throughout, scattering three hits over seven innings while striking out seven and walking only two. The senior worked out of several tense moments late as the Rangers tried to rally.
Meanwhile, Perish turned in a huge performance at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double, a home run, and two RBIs in the low-scoring battle.
Ely broke through first in the second inning after Lindi Zemke reached on an outfield error and advanced to third on the play. Perish then lined a double to center field to score Zemke and give the Wolves a 1-0 lead.
The Timberwolves added another run in the third.
Peyton Huntington reached after being hit by a pitch, then aggressively worked her way around the bases with steals of both second and third. Julia Zgonc later brought her home with an RBI single to extend Ely’s advantage to 2-0.
Perish struck again in the fourth inning, crushing a solo home run to right field to push the lead to 3-0.
The Rangers threatened several times late.
Mt. Iron-Buhl put runners aboard in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, but Ely repeatedly came up with key outs to escape trouble.
One of the biggest moments came in the sixth inning. After the Rangers put runners at first and third with no outs, MacKenzie got MIB to line into a double play to third baseman Ella Perish, who doubled the runner off third. Julia Zgonc then caught a liner at second to end the inning.
The seventh inning also brought late tension. Mt. Iron-Buhl put a runner aboard with one out, and MacKenzie got a groundout for the second out before issuing a walk that brought the tying run to the plate. Peyton Huntington then secured the final out with a popout behind the plate.
Ely finished with eight hits in the contest. Along with Perish’s three-hit performance, Lucy Oelke added two hits while MacKenzie, Zgonc and Peyton Huntington each collected one.

Two Harbors
ends Ely season
The Timberwolves’ postseason run came to an end later last Thursday as Ely fell 14-0 to Two Harbors in a five-inning elimination game.
The Mariners had earlier beaten Ely 11-1 in the second round of the tournament before the Wolves battled back through the elimination bracket with their win over Mt. Iron-Buhl.
Two Harbors wasted little time taking control in the rematch, scoring four runs in the first inning before adding six more in the third and four in the fourth.
The Mariners pounded out 13 hits in the contest, including a two-run home run by Madison Ollman in the opening inning along with several doubles and run-scoring singles throughout the game.
MacKenzie, who had thrown a three-hit shutout against Mt. Iron-Buhl earlier in the day, worked four innings in the circle against the Mariners.
Ely managed just three hits offensively, with Peyton Huntington, Lindi Zemke and Perish accounting for the Timberwolves’ only hits. Zemke had Ely’s lone extra-base hit with a double. Lucy Oelke also drew a walk.
The Timberwolves finished the season with a 13-10 record.