Ely blanked at state

Powerful La Crescent ended Ely's state title hopes Friday afternoon, blanking Post 248 on four hits in a 4-0 state tournament win at Dilworth.

Brandon Verthein's two-run homer to center in the bottom of the fourth broke a scoreless deadlock, and winning pitcher Austin Walleser wiggled out of trouble in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings to send his team into Saturday's semifinals.

LaCrescent (16-1) handed Ely pitching ace Nick Pecha the first loss of his Legion career. The righthander gave up three earned runs and fanned seven.

Walleser, meanwhile, kept his earned run average at a perfect 0.00 by keeping Ely off the board. He stranded two runners in scoring position in the fourth, and he got out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the fifth. Ely also put two runners aboard in the sixth but came up empty.

Walleser gave up four hits, two to Ely's Sean Fisher.

Pecha kept La Crescent off the board through three innings but got nicked in the fourth. After a one-out walk, Verthein lifted a Pecha offering to center, where it cleared the 340-foot sign.

La Crescent, which eliminated Ely in the 2008 state semifinals, got an unearned run in the fifth and tacked on one more for insurance in the sixth.

Walks to Aaron Donais and Cody Bialik got Ely going in the fifth, and after Alex Koschak flew out, Josh Ojala drew another walk. But Walleser got a groundout and a strikeout to escape. Jory Johnson doubled in the sixth, but he was stranded at third.

La Crescent advances to meet Ada in Saturday's semifinal round, while Ely moves into the consolation bracket and an 11:30 a.m. meeting with BOLD, which fell 6-2 to Ada. The consolation title game is at 3 p.m.

Destination Dilworth! Ely beats Chisholm for district title

Ely's American Legion baseball team simply would not be denied.

After a pair of walkoff wins in the district playoffs, Ely fell behind again in Sunday's district title matchup with Chisholm.

But Post 248 stormed back, taking the lead for good on Jory Johnson's two-out, two-run triple in the fifth, and riding the pitching of Nick Pecha the rest of the way to gain a 6-3 victory at Veterans Memorial Field.

The win gave Ely the Eighth District Division II crown and the program's ninth state tournament berth in 14 seasons. Ely (21-5) now heads west to Dilworth for a Friday quarterfinal matchup with LaCrescent.

It wasn't quite as dramatic as earlier playoff wins over Brookston and Deer River, but Post 248's title game had more than a few anxious moments for a boisterous home crowd.

Chisholm touched up Pecha, who won his 11th straight decision and notched 12 strikeouts, for eight hits. Tony Clement's solo homer in the top of the fifth gave the third-seeded Chisholm team a 3-2 lead with only nine outs to play.

But Ely seized momentum right back. Josh Ojala started the rally with a one-out single and Nick Mathews drew a two-out walk. It set the stage for Johnson, who lifted a Ryan Ferrell offering deep to right field. The ball hit the fence, and Johnson wound up at third. Both Ojala and Mathews scored and Ely was up 4-3.

Wes Snyder, who homered earlier in the game and on Friday delivered the three-run walkoff shot that downed Deer River, followed with a run-scoring hit for a two-run lead.

Ely added an insurance run in the sixth and Pecha struck out the side in the seventh, igniting a raucous celebration at home plate.

Snyder, Koschak and Johnson all finished with two hits for the winners. Adam Vake had a two-run double for Chisholm, which finished 14-10.

Sensational! Snyder's three-run walkoff blast topples Deer River

Wes Snyder now has his very own place in the storied history of Ely's Veterans Memorial Field.

In one of the most dramatic finishes ever seen at the local ballpark, Ely rallied past Deer River 9-8 Friday night when Snyder launched his first career home run: a two-out, three-run blast over the centerfield fence that gave Post 248 a most dramatic and improbable victory.

Ely, now 20-5, moved into Sunday's title game and rallied from four runs down to do it. The hosts trailed 7-3 after five frames and were down 8-6 going into the seventh.

Josh Ojala started the rally when he reached base on an error, and a two-out walk to Jory Johnson set the stage for Snyder. The sophomore, who also stroked a two-run double in the sixth, cracked an 0-1 pitch from Deer River reliever Travis Kane deep to center. Outfielder Cody Willis ran out of room, and the Ely bench mobbed Snyder at the plate.

Post 248 will play for a district title for the 12th time in 13 seasons and will shoot for its ninth state berth in the same timeframe Sunday (4 p.m.), when it meets either Chisholm or Deer River.

Ely shook off a shaky start and stormed back late to beat Deer River for the third time this year.

After stranding 10 runners through five innings, Ely broke through in the sixth. A two-out double by Snyder closed the gap to 7-5 and put some pressure on Deer River (11-8). After Greg Helget was hit by a pitch and Louie Gerzin walked, Aaron Donais drew a bases-loaded walk and sliced the gap to 7-6. Kane got Sean Fisher to ground out to end the rally.

Deer River added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, when Lance Latvala singled off of Nick Pecha, who came on in the seventh after Snyder and Alex Koschak. But Pecha, now 10-0, escaped further damage and Ely bounced back in the bottom half  of the frame.

After Ojala reached, it looked like Kane would preserve the lead for the visitors when he retired both Koschak and Nick Mathews. But Johnson's walk extended the game, and Snyder followed with his first-ever round-tripper.

Snyder, who finished with five runs batted in, was the hero at the plate after a shaky outing on the mound.  Deer River scored four runs in the first two frames to chase the lefty, bringing on Koschak in relief

The junior righthander settled in after giving up a run in the third and two in the fourth, but he gave way to Pecha after beaning Jack Carter to start the seventh.

Deer River finished with nine hits, including three by Cole Knudson. Jack Carter scored twice and Luke Benson drove in two runs. Starting pitcher Cody Willis gave up  three runs on four hits, through three innings, before giving way to Kane.

Deer River and Chisholm now meet in an elimination game at 8 p.m. Saturday, and the winner must beat Ely twice on Sunday to claim the district title.

In elimination round action on  Friday, Chisholm edged Brookston 5-4 behind the pitching of Tony Clement, and Cook County shocked Esko 13-3 in five innings. Chisholm then eliminated Cook County 12-3.

Pecha, Ojala winners of 2010 Hernesmaa/Chelesnik Memorial Award

Nick Pecha and Josh Ojala are now part of the Ely American Legion baseball program's most exclusive list - those who have won the prestigious Mark Hernesmaa/David Chelesnik Jr. Memorial Award.

The two college freshmen were named co-winners of the Legion program's MVP award Wednesday, prior to Ely's 4-3 win over Brookston in the district playoffs.

Pecha and Ojala, Ely's only two players in their final year of Legion eligibility, have contributed on several fronts to the program's 19-win season this summer.

Pecha has been one of northern Minnesota's most dominant pitchers, winning nine straight decisions with three shutouts, and fanning 96 batters in 55 innings of work. In two years with the program, the hard-throwing righthander has racked up a 13-0 record on the mound, and has never given up more than three runs in a start.

Ojala, meanwhile, is finishing a brilliant four-year stint with the Ely Legion program. He has been a starter all four years, and took over the centerfield job in 2008. He has been part of a pair of Ely state tournament teams, and has provided valuable leadership this year to what is the youngest team in program history.

Known for his range in centerfield and strong arm, Ojala has also provided pop with his bat, hitting .392 this season with 22 runs scored.

Pecha and Ojala were honored prior to the playoff game, and received their respective awards from David Chelesnik Sr., Ed Hernesmaa and Bonnie Hernesmaa.

The award is named after two standout Ely Legion players who both passed away during the 1980s. Mark Hernesmaa drowned in 1981, and the award was started in his honor that year. Chelesnik lost a four-year fight to cancer in 1984 and his name was later added to the award.

Previous winners include David Chelesnik Jr., Frank Ivancich, Brian Palo, Steve Sayovitz, Greg Tulla, John Mavetz, Bill Muhvich, Bill Palo, Bill Mobilia, Greg Schepers, Jim Barich, Benjy Gibney, Dave Jalonen, Chad Davis, Brian Olson, Steve Dunstan, J.J. Puzel, Bob Zbacnik, Adam Rannels, Jeff Richards, Bill Planton, Bobby Fink, Josh Mathson, Tim Scott, Nick Furnstahl, Tyler Blomberg, Ben Povhe and Tyler Cramer.

In addition to receiving an engraved plaque, the names of Pecha and Ojala will also be added to a plaque that hangs at Ely Memorial High School.

Playoff Walk-off at the Vet: Ely edges Brookston

Before the largest crowd of the season, Ely rallied late and beat Brookston 4-3 Wednesday night to advance in the Eighth District Division II playoffs.

Alex Koschak's one-out double to center plated Cody Bialik with the game-winning run and sent top-seeded Ely (19-5) into a Friday night winners' bracket showdown against number-two Deer River.

But Post 248's victory was anything but easy. Winning  pitcher Nick Pecha, who earlier in the night was named a co-winner of the Mark Hernesmaa/David Chelesnik Jr. Memorial Award, won his ninth-straight decision but had to work out of a bases- loaded, two-out jam in the top of the seventh to do it.

It set the stage for the bottom of the seventh, when Aaron Donais worked a leadoff walk against losing pitcher Bryce Karppinen, who allowed only three hits. Sean Fisher then popped out on a bunt attempt, but Josh Ojala, who joined Pecha as this year's Hernesmaa/Chelesnik Award co-recipients, was hit by a pitch with one out. Koschak then lifted a Karppinen offering deep to center, and Bialik, a pinch-runner, scored easily from second.

Ely took a 2-0 lead early, as Nick  Mathews singled an scored on a Greg Helget squeeze bunt in the second. Two walks and a Mathews single gave the hosts a two-run lead.

But the advantage was short-lived. Brookston scored on on two hits in the fourth, while two singles, an error and a passed ball allowed the visitors to go up 3-2 in the top of the fifth.

Ely tied it in the bottom of the fifth, when Fisher scored from third on an errant pick off throw.

Pecha, now 9-0, tossed a complete-game six-hitter with nine strikeouts. Karppinen was equally brilliant in defeat, fanning 10 Ely batters, giving up just three hits and allowing only two earned runs.

In other action on Wednesday, Deer River scored twice in the seventh to beat Esko 6-5, and Chisholm eliminated Marble 11-5.

Playoff action resumes Friday in Ely, with three elimination-round contests at noon, 2:30 and 5 p.m. Chisholm takes on Brookston, Esko meets Cook County, and the winners meet in the third game. Ely and Deer River square off at 7:30, with the winner gaining a berth in Sunday's title tilt.

Ely has top seed; pairings set for Division II Legion playoffs

The road to Dilworth goes through Ely, at least for the Division II baseball teams in Minnesota's Eighth District.

Ely has the number-one seed and home field advantage for the district playoffs, which start Tuesday night with three opening round games. The bulk of the tournament will be played at Ely's Veterans Memorial Field, including Sunday's title tilt, set for 4 p.m. with a second game to follow if necessary.

After a surprising run through the regular season, Ely has an 18-5 overall record and secured the number-one seed by winning 11 district games, two games more than anyone in the district. The hosts have a first-round bye and will open tournament play at 8 p.m. Wednesday, against either Brookston or Cook County.

Whoever survives the weeklong, seven-team, double-elimination grind will win a trip to the Division II State Tournament, set for July 30-Aug. 1 at Dilworth, located in western Minnesota just outside of Moorhead.  Ely has qualified for the state tournament in eight of the last 13 seasons.

Eighth District Division II Tournament Schedule

Tuesday July 20

Game 1 5 pm at Ely #4 seed Brookston vs. #5 seed Cook County

Game 2 7 pm at Virginia #3 seed Chisholm vs. #6 seed Esko

Game 3 7:30 pm at Ely #2 seed Deer River vs. #7 seed Marble

Wednesday July 21

Game 4 5:30 pm at Ely Winner 2 vs. Winner 3

Game 5 6 pm TBD Loser 2 vs. Loser 3**

Game 6 8 pm at Ely Winner 1 vs. #1 seed Ely

Friday July 23

Game 7 noon at Ely Winner 5 vs. Loser 6**

Game 8 2:30 pm at Ely Loser 1 vs. Loser 4**

Game 9 5 pm at Ely Winner 7 vs. Winner 8**

Game 10 7:30 pm at Ely Winner 4 vs. Winner 6

Saturday July 24

Game 11 8 pm at Ely Winner 9 vs. Loser 10**

Sunday July 25

Game 12  4 pm at Ely Winner 10 vs. Winner 11

Game 13  6:30 pm  at Ely Repeat Game 12 if necessary

Unbeaten Ely VFW wins twice, plays for Border title

The perfect season continues for Ely's VFW baseball team.

Post 2717 extended its season-long winning streak to 19 games on Saturday, taking a pair of victories in the Border Area VFW playoffs at Veterans Memorial Field.

Winning pitcher Riley Bernsdorf  scored four runs as Ely drilled Cook County 15-0 in the opener, while Wes Snyder held Virginia to three hits in a 4-1 winners bracket decision.

Ely (19-0) meets either Virginia or Cook County at 3:30 p.m. today for the title. A loss by Ely would force a deciding title game on  Monday night.

Snyder gave up a first-inning run against Virginia, but allowed only one hit the rest of the way. The lefty is now 6-0 for the summer, with four wins in Legion and two more for the VFW. He has not allowed more than one earned run in any start.

A two-run single by Sean  Jordan put Ely on top, while Greg Helget had two hits for the winners. Louie Gerzin tripled and scored on a passed ball in the sixth to provide insurance.

The opener was no contest as Ely scored at least three runs in every inning. Trevor Bernsdorf  tripled and knocked in four runs, while Mathews had three hits. Helget added two and drove in two runs.

In other Border Area games, Virginia beat Eveleth 12-2 in the opening round. Cook County then eliminated Eveleth 16-5.

Ely secures top seed

A gutty pitching performance by Alex Koschak and some timely hitting gave Ely's American Legion baseball team a victory Friday night, and the top seed in the upcoming district playoffs.

Koschak tossed a three-hitter and overcame five error by his teammates, and Ely pushed across two runs in the bottom of the sixth to edge Chisholm 5-3 at Veterans Memorial Field.

Consecutive two-out hits by Sean Fisher and Josh Ojala gave Ely the lead, and Koschak, who did not give up an earned run, retired Chisholm (10-6) in the seventh.

Koschak picked up his third win of the year while striking out six, and Ely improved to 18-5 overall.

Losing pitcher Tony Clement stymied Ely for most of the night, althoguh the hosts scored once in the first and got two unearned runs in the third. Fisher walked and scored in the opening frame, and the leadoff man reached on an error to start the third. He scored on the back end of a double steal, and Koschak's two-out double brought in Ojala to make it 3-2.

Two Ely errors allowed Chisholm to tie the game in the top of the sixth, but the winners came back in the bottom of the frame. Jory Johnson walked to start the rally, and after a bunt and a strikeout, Fisher came through with a bloop single to right. Fisher later stole second and scored on Ojala's second hit of the night.

Koschak worked through the Ely fielding miscues and stranded eight Chisholm runners in the game.

Pecha shuts out Brookston, but Ely settles for split

Ely inched closer to a top-seed for the district playoffs on Thursday night, but missed out on a chance to clinch.

Nick Pecha recorded his third shutout of the season and tossed a four-hitter - with 12 strikeouts - as Post 248 took the first game of a home doubleheader with Brookston.

Despite 13 hits, including home runs by Alex Koschak and Jory Johnson, Ely missed too many chances and fell 11-6 in the nightcap.

Now 17-5 overall and 10-3 in district play, Ely can earn the number-one seed for the district tournament with a win on Friday over Chisholm. The contest is set for 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Field.

The opening game of the doubleheader with Brookston was a pitching duel between Pecha and Bryce Karppinen. Pecha didn't walk a batter and reached double-digits in strikeouts in his seventh straight start, but Karppinen largely kept Ely at bay.

Ely scored a pair of unearned runs in the third, with Alex Koschak's two-run single plating Sean Fisher and Josh Ojala. Johnson doubled in a run as Ely scored three times in the fifth.

Brookston (7-4 overall, 7-3 district) took advantage of five Ely errors in the nightcap, and scored four times in teh second on five hits to jump out to a 5-2 lead.

Ely clawed back to within 7-6 in the fourth with a two-run homer by Alex Koschak and a solo shot by Johnson.

It was 9-6 in the sixth when Ely loaded the bases with one out. But Brookston escaped when Johnson lined into a double play.

Nick Mathews worked three innings and was tagged with the loss. Johnson tossed the last four frames, yielding five hits. Koschak,  Ojala, Johnson and Trevor Bernsdorf all had two hits for Ely.

Ely explodes late, downs Deer River

Ely's bats were silent Wednesday for five innings, but the offense revved up in the sixth and the seventh, scoring seven times in an 8-4 district win at Deer River.

Alex Koschak's seventh-inning hit broke a four-all tie and sent Post 248 on its way to its second win over Deer River in four days. The four-run outburst in the seventh helped Ely rebound from a disastrous bottom of the sixth.

Four straight hits, including a two-run double by Wes Snyder gave Ely a 4-2 lead in the top of the sixth. But the first two Deer River batters reached in the bottom half, bringing ace Nick Pecha on in relief. A pair of Ely errors prolonged the inning, and Travis Kane tied the contest with a two-run single.

But Ely came right back. Greg Helget reached base on an error and Josh Ojala singled, setting the stage for Koschak's game-winning hit. Jory Johnson then added the key blow, a two-run double that made it 7-4.

Johnson finished with three hits and four runs batted in for the winners, while Snyder had two hits and three RBI.

Snyder went five strong innings, giving up no earned runs and only five hits. Pecha gained his seventh win of the year in relief, fanning three.

Rally past Virginia gives Ely third-place at Sir G's Classic

Ely blew a five-run lead, then shook it off and put together a comeback of its own to secure third place in the 2010 Sir G's Midsummer Classic.

Riley Bernsdorf's two-out single tied the game, while Trevor Bernsdorf  scored the go-ahead run on a balk as Ely scored twice in the sixth and edged Virginia 9-8 before a boisterous crowd at Veterans Memorial Field.

Jory Johnson, the fourth Ely pitcher to work in the game, stranded two runners in the seventh and got the win. He also got a huge boost from Riley Bernsdorf, when the Ely catcher picked a Virginia runner off of first.

It was a big day all around for the Bernsdorfs. Riley, who just completed seventh grade, went three-for-four with four runs batted in, while ninth-grader Trevor had two hits and scored twice.

College freshman Josh Ojala, back in the lineup after missing a week-and-a-half with an injury, closed out a solid tournament with a four-for-four performance at the plate. His single started the sixth-inning rally.

It looked like Ely would cruise after Post 248 erased a 2-0 Virginia lead with four runs in the third, one in the fourth and two in the fifth.  Riley Bernsdorf's two-run single closed out the third-inning rally while Ojala knocked in a run the following inning to make it 5-2. Riley Bernsdorf and Greg Helget drove in runs in the fifth.

But Virginia wasn't done. The visitors sent nine batters to the plate in the sixth, as two-run singles by Pat Anderson and Jeremy Paschke closed the gap. A squeeze bunt by Jim Paskett tied the score and Paschke scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.

That set the stage for Ely's late-inning heroics. Johnson followed starter Nick Mathews, who worked three innings, as well as relievers Trevor Bernsdorf and Helget. Both Mathews and Trevor Bernsdorf had two hits.

Duluth Lakeview won the Sir G's title in its first trip to the tournament, outscoring Cloquet 19-9 in the championship game. In other action on Sunday, Frazee scored five times in the seventh to beat Detroit Lakes 9-8, and Deer River beat Cook County 9-6.

Saturday split: Pecha shuts down Deer River, Koschak and Mathews hit back-to-back bombs

Yet another dominant pitching performance from Nick Pecha gave Ely a district victory over Deer River on Saturday night, and helped Post 248 rebound after a rough outing earlier that day.

Division I powerhouse Cloquet hammered Ely 14-1 in five innings in the afternoon, but Pecha tossed a three-hitter at night as his team downed district favorite Deer River 8-2.

Pecha, who won his sixth game of the summer, finished with 12 strikeouts and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, when Deer River got both of its runs.

Ely got a jolt in the bottom of the first from Alex Koschak and Nick Mathews, who homered in consecutive at bats. Koschak's two-run blast off losing pitcher Luke Benson went to the left-center gap and got Ely on the board. Mathews deposited the next pitch over the left field fence, bringing his teammates out of the dugout and the fans out of their seats.

A double by Koschak stoked Ely's two-run rally in the fourth, and Mathews had a run-scoring hit in the fifth. Sean Fisher doubled in the fifth, while teammate Wes Snyder finished with two hits.

Pecha, meanwhile, struck out the side in the seventh to finish in double digits for the game. The hard-throwing righthander is now 6-0, with a 1.26 earned run average, and 71 strikeouts in 39 innings pitched.

Earlier Saturday, Cloquet had its hitting shoes on, getting five hits in both the first and third frames and finishing with 14 in the five-inning contest. Shortstop Peter LaCourse went four-ofr-five for the winners with three doubles and three runs batted in. Joey Singpiel had two hits and two runs batted in, Connor Stowell had two hits and winning pitcher Adam Hanson tossed two perfect innings.

Koschak was the losing pitcher and Aaron Donais came on in relief. Donais had two hits at the plate.

In other Saturday action, Duluth Lakeview earned a spot in Saturday's title game by beating Cook County 12-1 and Virginia 12-2. Detroit Lakes blew a four-run lead in the seventh and fell to Cook County 8-7, but came back later in the day to beat Virginia 12-3. Frazee beat Deer River 17-2 in five innings, then lost 12-3 to Cloquet.

Snyder blanks Frazee

Lefty Wes Snyder continued to dazzle on the mound as Ely won its opening game in the Sir G's Midsummer Classic.

Snyder won his fourth game of the season and picked up his second shutout as Ely blanked Frazee 6-0 at Veterans Memorial Field.

Snyder, who has given up just two runs in 24 innings of work this summer, escaped a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the second inning and only allowed one hit in the final frames. He finished with a three-hitter and seven strikeouts.

Ely got the only run Snyder would need in the first, when Nick Mathews singled in Josh Ojala. Mathews added another run-scoring hit in the third and the hosts put the game away with a three-run fifth. Alex Koschak's run-scoring double was the highlight of the inning.

Making the most of its six hits, Ely got two hits and two runs batted in from Koschak. Mathews also had two hits and two RBI.

In other opening round games on Friday, Duluth Lakeview downed Detroit Lakes 12-1, Cloquet topped Deer River 4-1 and Virginia outscored Cook County 20-13, in an ugly game that included 17 errors.

Sir G's Classic comes to town

It's time for Ely's second major American Legion tournament of the summer: the tenth annual Sir G's Midsummer Classic.

The 2010 edition is the largest yet, with eight teams competing in two divisions. Host Ely (12-3) is joined by Cloquet, Deer River and Frazee in the Red Division, while the Blue Division features Duluth Lakeview, Detroit Lakes, Virginia and Cook County. The tournament features round-robin play in each division Friday and Saturday, with cross-over games on Sunday.

This year's event may be one of the most competitive regular season tournaments in recent years at Veterans Memorial Field. The Blue Division is headlined by Lakeview (Duluth East), which returns three college baseball players and has the top players from a Duluth East squad that was one of the best in Section 7AAA during the high school season. Detroit Lakes has a traditionally strong program while Virginia  has a deep pool of talent. Cook County is the lone Division II team in the division.

In Red Division action, Cloquet looms as the favorite after reaching the state tournament in Class AA high school baseball this spring. Deer River comes to Ely fresh off its fourth-place finish in the high school Class A tournament, while Frazee is one of the top teams in Ninth District Division II baseball.

The schedule includes four games Friday, all at Ely, with eight games Saturday split between Ely and Soudan. Sunday's action includes three games at Ely and one in Soudan.

The complete schedule includes:

Friday

12:30 - Virginia vs. Cook County

3:00 - Cloquet vs. Deer River

5:30 - Detroit Lakes vs. Duluth Lakeview

8:00 - Ely vs. Frazee

Saturday - at Ely

9:30 - Cook County vs. Detroit Lakes

noon - Virginia vs Duluth Lakeview

2:30 - Ely vs. Cloquet

5:00 - Cloquet vs. Frazee

7:30 - Ely vs. Deer River

Saturday - at Soudan

1:00 - Frazee vs. Deer River

3:30 - Duluth Lakeview vs. Cook County

6:00 - Detroit Lakes vs. Virginia

Sunday - at Soudan

11:30 - Cook County vs. Deer River

Sunday - at Ely

10:00 - Crossover game to be determined

12:30 - Crossover game to be determined

3:00 - Ely vs. Virginia

Two out of three (ain't bad)

It was an up-and-down midweek for Post 248 in Eighth District play.

Ely got solid pitching in an 8-2, 7-1 sweep over Cook County Tuesday night at Veterans Memorial Field, but the squad had little left in the tank at Marble on Wednesday, falling  7-3 and handing the hosts only their second win of the summer.

Ely (12-3) picked up the home victories behind the pitching of Nick Pecha and Alex Koschak. Pecha won his fifth game in as many decisions and fired a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts, overcoming some early control problems.

The game was decided early as Ely scored four times in the bottom of the first. The first five hitters reached against losing pitcher Dene Taylor and the hosts plated four in the first and three more runs in the second.

Sean Fisher went two-for-two with two walks and two runs scored for the winners. Eighth-grader Louie Gerzin knocked in two runs, while Alex Koschak doubled in a run and scored twice.  Both of the runs Pecha allowed were unearned.

It was Koschak's turn in game two. After struggling with control in his earlier starts, the lanky junior did not walk a batter and finished with a six-hitter and seven strikeouts. Koschak ran his record to 2-1 for the summer.

Ely made the most of its eight hits, with Koschak lining two and Fisher getting a triple, a single and scoring twice. Jory Johnson doubled in a run.

Johnson had his first career Legion homer the next evening, but it was one of Ely's only highlights in a 7-3 loss. The round-tripper, which cleared the right field fence, came in the top of the seventh and came with Ely trailing 7-0.

Ely scored three times in the seventh and loaded the bases, but winning pitcher Jayden Gangl escaped with the win. The ninth-grader tossed a five-hitter, struck out six and was backed by strong defense.

Marble got 10 hits against Ely pitchers Johnson and Nick Mathews. Johnson worked four-plus innings and was tagged with his second loss of the year.

A look at the numbers: pitching has been key

There's no secret why Ely's American Legion baseball team is off to a 10-2 start this year: strong pitching.

Ely has been very effective on the hill, with college freshman Nick Pecha leading the way and sophomore lefty Wes Snyder not far behind. They've combined for seven of the team's 10 wins.

Pecha has been nothing short of dominant this summer, fanning 13 in a season-opening win at Esko and following up with a one-hitter against Chisholm, a four-hitter against Sartell and a four-inning no-hitter against Aurora. Throw in a save against Proctor for good measure and Pecha begins the second half of the year with a 4-0 mark on the mound and a miniscule 1.40 earned run average. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is even more impressive. In 25 innings of work, Pecha has fanned 48 and walked only seven.

Snyder has been the surprise of the season, stepping into the Legion rotation and picking up three wins. He has a perfect 3-0 slate and a 0.41 earned run average, and 23 walks in seven inings.

As a team, Ely has allowed only 15 earned runs in 60 innings for a team ERA of 1.75.

Top hitters so far include Alex Koschak (.484, 12 RBI), Sean Fisher (.421) and Nick Mathews (.375, 15 RBI). In limited duty, Trevor Bernsdorf has recorded a .589 average and senior outfielder Aaron Donais is five-for-10 (.500).

Ely sweeps Aurora, falls to Chisholm

Ely's American Legion baseball team stumbled on Tuesday night, but came back with a vengeance on Wednesday.

A rare defensive breakdown helped lead to a 12-2 loss at Chisholm, but Post 248 was clicking on all cyliners Wednesday, sweeping overmatched Aurora 13-0 and 19-0 at Veterans Memorial Field.

Ely also picked up a forfeit win over Esko on Thursday to finish the first half of its season with a 10-2 record.

But on Tuesday, Ely committed more errors (eight) in one game than it has in the rest of the season combined. That gave Chisholm (5-3) many extra opportunities, and the hosts made the most of them, scoring five times in the bottom of the first to take control of the district contest.

Ely, meanwhile,  struggled against winning pitcher Erik Paine, who tossed a five-hitter. Jory Johnson gave up eight hits while being tagged with the loss, while Louie Gerzin had a run-scoring single.

Wes Snyder blanked Aurora on one hit in the opening game on Wednesday, and Nick Pecha and Nick Mathews followed with a combined no-hitter in the nightcap. Snyder fanned 10, with Pecha striking out 10 in four innings of work.

Ely battered Aurora pitching, with Alex Koschak going five-for-five for the twinbill. In the opener, Ely put the game away with a nine-run fourth inning. Johnson singled in two runs for the winners, while Sean Fisher scored twice and had two hits. Mathews also contributed two hits.

Four first-inning runs erased any doubt about the outcome of the second contest. Gerzin, Koschak, Tom Bonk, Sean Jordan and Will Gustafson all had two hits. Gerzin knocked in four runs and Johnson drove in three.

After a break for the Fourth of July weekend, Ely returns to action Tuesday (4 p.m.) with a home doubleheader against Cook County.