Seventh-inning rally fuels sweep of Moose Lake

A wild finish in the opening game sent Ely's American Legion baseball team on to a doubleheader sweep Tuesday night against visiting Moose Lake.

Ely scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, with the tying run scoring on a wild pitch and the winning run coming across after a throwing error at home plate, to pull out a 3-2 first-game win at chilly Veterans Memorial Field.  Post 248 took the nightcap 13-5 behind the pitching of Max Gantt and an 11-hit attack.

The first game had one of the strangest endings in the history of Ely baseball. Trailing 2-1 with two outs in the seventh, the hosts loaded the bases on walks to Max Gantt and Louie Gerzin and a single by Pat Huisman.

With Elliot Omerza at the plate, losing pitcher Teddy Ryan's 2-1 pitch evaded the Moose Lake catcher. Gantt scored easily from third, and the catcher's throw to the plate sailed past the pitcher and allowed Gerzin to score all the way from second.

The walkoff win gave Pat Huisman his third pitching victory. The sophomore righthander scattered six hits, gave up just one earned run, and reached double digits in strikeouts for a third straight start and finished with 11.  Huisman also had two of Ely's six hits against Ryan.

In the second game, Ely scored four times in the bottom of the first to stake Gantt to an early lead, but Moose Lake rallied and took a 5-4 lead in the third, scoring without the benefit of a hit.

The visitors' lead was short-lived, as Ely responded with a run in the third and seven more in the fourth.

Senior Will Gustafson helped lead the hit parade, going three-for-five for the evening with three runs batted in, including a two-run single in the fourth. Huisman also lined a two-run single during the frame and wound up with two hits and three runs batted in.  Gantt and Cole Kellogg added two hits each.

After a brief bout with wildness in the third, Gantt settled in and finished with a four-hitter and his first win of the summer. He struck out two.