District Champs!

Ely entered the 2011 season with a berth in the state tournament already secured, thanks to the automatic bid annually afforded the tournament host.

But Post 248 went ahead and earned its own berth the old fashioned way, claiming its second straight Eighth District title and its third in four years, by way of its 6-0 win over Marble Saturday afternoon at Deer River.

Senior pitcher Alex Koschak led the way, firing a three-hitter with nine strikeouts and coming up with the key offensive blow - a bases-clearing double in the bottom of the second.

Koschak, now 5-3 on the mound, also wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the third to keep Marble off the board.

Ely's second-inning rally provided all the offense Koschak would need. The key at-bat was a bases-loaded walk drawn by number-nine hitter Cody Bialik with two outs. It put Ely on the board and set the table for Koschak, who lined a pitch from Marble's Derek Bundy into the left-center gap to make it 4-0.

Trevor Bernsdorf, who had two hits, doubled and scored in the bottom of the sixth and Ely added an unearned run in the same inning.

Ely, now 20-8, outscored three district opponents by a combined score of 34-5 and takes a full head of steam into Thursday's state quarterfinals. Ely will take on the Third District champion, which will be determined Sunday, at 7:45 p.m. to close out the opening day of action at Veterans Memorial Field.

The full tournament slate should be known by Sunday, with Ely, Marble and Luverne already claiming spots in the eight-team field.