Skala powers Ely to first win

Brody Skala is making a big impact in his first season in an Ely American Legion baseball uniform.

Skala's double in the bottom of the seventh gave Ely a walkoff, 9-8 win over district rival Two Harbors Wednesday night at Veterans Memorial Field.

And two innings earlier, Skala's first career home run - a two-run blast over the center field fence - powered a five-run Ely uprising.

The hits keyed Post 248's first win of the season, a seesaw affair.

Skala's home run and a two-run triple by Kyle Durbin put the hosts up 8-4 after five innings, but Two Harbors countered with three runs in the sixth, then nicked reliever Pat Huisman for a run with two outs in the top of the seventh.

That set the stage for the bottom half of the frame, when Huisman and Gage Merhar drew two-out walks, and Skala followed with his shot to the left-center gap.

Skala wound up with three runs batted in for the winners, while teammates Durbin and Will Gustafson added two hits each.

Huisman worked an inning on the mound and got the win, relieving Gustsafson, who scattered 10 hits in six frames.

Starting pitcher Lucas Kempffer had two hits for Two Harbors, while reliever Easton Best - the third Two Harbors pitcher - was tagged with the loss.

Ely is back in action Friday with a doubleheader against Cook County, at Duluth's renovated Wade Stadium. The first pitch is at 4:30 p.m.