Junior schedule in place

The formation of a brand-new baseball league for 14-and-under teams includes Ely's Junior team, which is set to open play June 9 with a home doubleheader.

Iron Range Baseball formed May 18 and includes 12 teams across the region, split into two divisions. Ely joins Eveleth-Gilbert, Mesabi East, International Falls and two Virginia teams in the IRB East Division, while IRB West includes two Grand Rapids teams, two in Hibbing and Greenway East (Pengilly) and Greenway West (Bovey).

The schedule includes 15 dates and an end-of-the-year tournament, slated for Aug. 1-3 at Hibbing.

Ely's schedule is listed below

2014 Ely Junior Baseball Schedule

Schedule as of 5/29/14 (subject to change)

* Monday/Wednesday games will either be one 7-inning

game, or a doubleheader with two 5-inning games, subject

to agreement of participating teams

Date Opponent                           Time

Monday June 9 Mesabi East (2)     6 p.m.

Wednesday June 11    vs. Eveleth-Gilbert (at Gilbert) 6 p.m.

Monday June 16          at Virginia I              6 p.m.

Wednesday June 18 Hibbing 6 p.m.

Thursday June 19 at Grand Marais (2, tentative)    4 p.m.

Monday June 23 Int. Falls (2/5s) 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday June 25    at Virginia II 6 p.m.

Monday June 30          at Greenway West (Bovey) 6 p.m.

Wednesday July 2 at Mesabi East         6 p.m.

Monday July 7 Eveleth-Gilbert 6 p.m.

Wednesday July 9 Grand Marais 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday July 9 Virginia 7:30 p.m.

Monday July 14 Greenway East (Pengily) 6 p.m.

Wednesday July 16     at Int. Falls (2) 5 p.m.

Monday July 21 Virginia II 6 p.m.

Wednesday July 23     at Grand Rapids Black TBA

Monday July 28     at Mesabi East          6 p.m..

Friday Aug. 1 League Tournament - Hibbing 

Saturday Aug. 2 League Tournament - Hibbing 

Sunday Aug. 3 League Tournament - Hibbing 

Ely VFW Schedule: Home tourney kicks off season

Ely's VFW baseball schedule is all but complete, with the annual Taste of Ely Classic marking the start of the summer season at Veterans Memorial Field.

Post 2717 will host five other teams - including 2013 state tournament entrant Perham - in a two-day event slated for June 7-8.

Ely will play four games over the weekend, and the tournament is one of the highlights of a docket that also includes a trip to the Grand Rapids tournament as well as the July 5-6 Ely Auto Services VFW Showcase.

As part of the Ely Baseball Days celebration, Post 2717 is tentatively slated to host Kenyon on Thursday July 10. Ely also has an automatic bid in the Eighth District Playoffs, which start July 26 in Ely.

The current schedule is below, and still subject to change.

2014 Ely VFW Baseball Schedule

as of May 18, 2014

Date          Opponent                  Time

Saturday June 7 Greenway                12 noon

Saturday June 7 Perham                          7:30 p.m.

Sunday June 8 Grand Rapids Orange         2:15 p.m.

Sunday June 8 Ordean                        4:30 p.m.

Tuesday June 10 Hibbing (2)                 2 p.m.

Saturday June 14 at Grand Rapids Tourney (2)

Sunday June 15 at Grand Rapids Tourney (2)

Tuesday June 17 Virginia (2)               5 p.m.

Wednesday June 18          at Greenway (2)                3 p.m.

Tuesday June 24 at Deer River                 3 p.m.

Tuesday July 1 Greenway (2)                  11 a.m.

Wednesday July 2          at Virginia (2)                  3 p.m.

Saturday July 5 Ely Auto Services Showcase           2:30 p.m.

Saturday July 5 Ely Auto Services Showcase           7:30 p.m.

Sunday July 6 Ely Auto Services Showcase            2:15 p.m.

Sunday July 6 Ely Auto Services Showcase          4:30 p.m.

Monday July 7 at Int. Falls (2)                            4 p.m.

Thursday July 10 Kenyon                            7 p.m.

Wednesday July 16 Deer River                    5 p.m.

Saturday July 19 Subdistrict Tournament - Hibbing

Sunday July 20 Subdistrict Tournament - Hibbing

Saturday July 26 District Tournament - Ely

Sunday July 27 District Tournament - Ely

Monday July 28 District Tournament - Ely

Tuesday July 29 District Tournament - Ely

Thursday Aug. 7 State Tournament - Brainerd

Friday Aug. 8 State Tournament - Brainerd

Saturday Aug. 9 State Tournament -  Brainerd

Sunday Aug. 10 State Tournament- Brainerd

2014 Schedule Released

Ely's 2014 American Legion baseball schedule is set, with the season-opener  tentatively slated for June 10, when Post 248 will take on Hibbing.

The contest at Veterans Memorial Field kicks off a 29-game regular season slate for Ely, including a whopping 18 home contests.

Included on the home docket are Post 248's two annual regular season tournaments - the 27th annual DQ Grill and Chill Classic (June 20-22) and the 13th annual Sir G's Midsummer Classic (July 11-13). Ely will also host the Eighth District Playoffs, which begin July 22 and culminate in the July 27 title game.

Ely's road action this year includes the annual trip south, with five games in a three-day span (June 26-28) at Bird Island, Jordan and Kenyon-Wanamingo.

Post 248 is gunning for its 12th state tournament berth in 17 years, but must replace five graduated seniors from a team that won 24 games last summer and finished as the Eighth District Division II runner-up.

2014 Ely American Legion Baseball Schedule

Date Opponent                Time

Tuesday June 10  Hibbing                  7 p.m.

Wednesday June 11                  at Two Harbors 6 p.m.

Monday June 16 at Esko                    6 p.m.

Wednesday June 18                   at Taconite 7 p.m.

Friday June 20 DQ Classic 8 p.m.

Saturday June 21 DQ Classic 1 p.m.

Saturday June 21 DQ Classic 7:45 p.m.

Sunday June 22 DQ Classic 5 p.m.

Tuesday June 24 at Deer River 6 p.m.

Thursday June 26                   at BOLD (at Bird Island) 6 p.m.

Thursday June 26                    vs. Sacred Heart (at Bird Island) 8 p.m.

Friday June 27                       at Jordan                       5 p.m.

Saturday June 28 at Kenyon (2)                10:30 a.m.

Monday June 30  Brookston 7 p.m.

Tuesday July 1 Moose Lake (2) 5 p.m.

Wednesday July 2                    at Virginia                     7 p.m.

Monday July 7 Cook County (2) 1 p.m.

Tuesday July 8 Taconite 7 p.m.

Friday July 11 Sir G's Classic 8 p.m.

Saturday July 12                  Sir G's Classic- 1 p.m.

Saturday July 12 Sir G's Classic- 7:45 p.m.

Sunday July 13 Sir G's Classic - 5 p.m.

Wednesday July 16 Deer River 7:30 p.m.

Thursday July 17 at Hibbing 7 p.m.

Friday July 18 Virginia                        5 p.m.

Friday July 18 Two Harbors 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday July 22                  District Tournament - Ely

Friday July 25 District Tournament - Ely

Saturday July 26                 District Tournament - Ely

Sunday July 27 District Tournament - Ely

Friday August 1 State Tournament - Luverne

Saturday August 2                 State Tournament - Luverne

Sunday August 3 State Tournament - Luverne

Taconite ends Ely's district reign

Ely never got its offense on track Sunday and came up short in its bid to return to the state tournament.

Al Troumbly worked out of several jams and finished with a three-hitter as Taconite downed Post 248 in the Eighth District Division II finals at Deer River.

Troumbly stranded runners in scoring position in four of the first five innings and got two double play balls, while Taconite got three first-inning runs to take control of the contest.

After Ely trimmed the gap to 3-1, Taconite got two unearned runs in the top of the seventh against tough-luck losing pitcher Louie Gerzin, who struck out 11 and gave up six hits while going the distance.

Singles by Troumbly and Pat Shea were part of the first inning rally, which was aided by a dropped fly ball in the outfield.

Ely put runners and second and third base in the second inning, but finally got on the board in the fifth, when two errors and a Cody Bialik single put pressure on second-seeded Taconite.

But Troumbly, who only struck out two batters, escaped the no-out jam with a flyout and a double play and Ely didn't threaten again.

Gerzin had two of Ely's three hits while Shea went two-for-four for the winners.

Taconite won its first district title and moves on to the Division II state tournament at Bird Island, where it meets Third District champion Pine Island at noon Friday.

Ely finished 23-12 and misses the state tournament for the first time since 2009.

Ely reaches district finals

One win off the field and another on has put Ely's American Legion baseball team in the district finals for a seventh straight season.

After a forfeit victory over Chisholm, Ely outlasted host Deer River 9-6 in the wind and cold Saturday afternoon to advance into the Eighth District Division II title tilt.

Ely, which meets Taconite Sunday in a rematch of the 2012 final, scored three times with two outs in the bottom of the sixth to break a six-all deadlock with Deer River.

Pat Huisman's single to left plated Nick Mathews with the go-ahead run, and Louie Gerzin and Greg Helget followed with singles to add valuable insurance.

Gerzin pitched a scoreless seventh to get the save for Riley Bernsdorf, who scattered nine hits en route to his fourth win of the summer.

Ely (24-10) finally prevailed in a back-and-forth contest with a young Deer River team that upset Post 248 on Friday.

After spotting Deer River a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, Ely stormed back with four runs in the bottom of the frame and Nick Mathews added a run-scoring hit in the second to make it 5-3.

Deer River would rally to tie the game at both 5-5 and 6-6 before the decisive sixth inning.

Ely was also aided by stellar defense, with Trevor Bernsdorf's diving stab in the sixth erasing what would have been a run-scoring hit off the bat of Deer River's Jack Carter.

Post 248 finished with 13 hits, with Fisher, Cody Bialik, Gerzin, Riley Bernsdorf and Mathews finishing with two apiece. Huisman and Riley Bernsdorf both had two runs batted in.

To start off the day, Ely was awarded with a forfeit win over Chisholm, which was unable to field a team for Saturday's opening game.  Taconite reached the finals with a 9-2 win over Deer River.

Ely needs a win in Sunday's first game to force a decisive second contest for the championship. Taconite needs only one win to claim its first district title.

Gustafson's gem keeps Ely alive at districts

After an untimely hitting slump, a masterful pitching performance by Will Gustafson helped Ely continue its quest for a fourth consecutive district championship.

Gustafson was perfect through five and two-thirds innings and finished with a two-hit shutout as Post 248 blanked Carlton 6-0 in an elimination round game Friday night at Deer River.

That followed a stunning 2-1 defeat earlier in the day to host Deer River as Ely (22-10) fell victim to the pitching of Warriors ace Lance Latvala, who scattered six hits.

Ely must win four straight games to win the district title, and continues its long road back at 3 p.m. Saturday against Chisholm. A win would put Post 248 in a 5:30 p.m. contest against either Taconite or Deer River, who face off earlier in the day.  The district finals is slated for Sunday.

Deer River pushed across two unearned runs in the top of the first against losing pitcher Trevor Bernsdorf, who tossed a four-hitter, and that would prove to be enough.

Latvala worked of a second-inning jam, despite giving up three hits in the frame and was aided by a double-play ball.  Ely's only run came in the sixth, when Louie Gerzin singled in Riley Bernsdorf.  Pat Huisman finished with two singles for Ely.

The nightcap belonged to Gustafson, who picked up his fifth win of the summer and retired the first 17 batters he faced.

Ely got the only run Gustafson would need in the second, when Riley Bernsdorf scored on a passed ball. Sean Fisher singled and scored on a sacrifice fly, while Nick Mathews roped a two-run double to highlight a four-run barrage in the fifth.

Fisher scored twice for the winners and Trevor Bernsdorf finished with two RBI.

Ely to meet Deer River in first playoff game

Top-seeded Ely drew a first-round bye and will take on Deer River Friday in the Eighth District Division II playoffs.

Ely (21-9) begins its quest for a fifth straight district title with a 12:30 p.m. matchup with the tournament hosts. Seeded fifth in the district, Deer River rallied for three runs in the top of the seventh and stunned Brookston 5-4 on Tuesday.

In the only regular season matchup of the season, Ely beat Deer River (6-12) 13-2.  Second-seeded Taconite (14-12) meets Chisholm (6-9) at 3 p.m. Friday, while Brookston, Carlton and Cook County remain alive in the elimination round.

The tournament runs through Sunday, with the title game slated for 1 p.m. at Deer River.