Ely splits at Wade

Ely's American Legion baseball team survived a disastrous inning and rebounded to win the opening game of a Friday evening doubleheader at Wade Stadium.

Cook County erased an 8-0 Ely lead with eight runs in the top of the fourth, but Post 248 weathered the storm and went on to an 11-8 victory behind the pitching of junior Patrick Huisman.

In the nightcap, Ely couldn't solve Cook County's Frankie Miller, who fired a three-hitter in a 7-3 win.

Post 248 seemed to be cruising in the opener after a seven-run first inning, but Cook County took advantage of four Ely errors and had a big inning of its own in the fourth, when it sent 12 batters to the plate.

But Huisman didn't give up a run the rest of the way and finished with an eight-hitter, eight strikeouts and his second win of the summer.

Ely regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth, when Brody Skala singled in Jeff Willis.  Skala also knocked in a run in Post 248's two-run sixth.

Will Gustafson had a two-run single in the opening frame and wound up with two hits and three runs batted in.

Miller held Ely without a hit through five innings of the second game, and his teammates staked the righthander to a 4-0 lead.

That held up until the sixth, when an error, three walks and a hit batter helped Ely slice the lead to one.

But Miller stranded the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, and Cook County got three unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth against reliever Spencer Gaulke.

Elliot Omerza took the loss, working the first three innings with Gaulke coming on in relief.

Ely returns to action Monday night against district rival Taconite, with the opening pitch slated for 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Field.