Ely pitchers combine on gem

Early in the high school baseball season, pitchers often have an advantage over hitters.

That played out in a big way Monday in Ely, where the Timberwolves’ Elliot Levens and Jack Davies combined on a no-hitter in a home opener that wasn’t much of a contest.

The Wolves held visiting Littlefork- Big Falls without a hit and cruised 10-0 in five innings.

The victory evened the Wolves’ mark at 1-1, following a 4-2 loss at Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin three days earlier, in a game where Ely struck out 16 times.

Monday, both Levens and Davies kept the Vikings at bay.

The visitors threatened in the top of the first thanks to a hit batter and a couple of Ely errors, and Levens escaped unscathed.

He was aided by a double play the following inning and retired the side in the third, while Davies had little trouble in quiet fourth and fifth frames.

The Wolves, meanwhile, erupted early with two runs in the first and five more in the bottom of the second.

Junior shortstop Caid Chittum, who finished three-for-three with three runs scored, had run-scoring hits in both the first and second innings.

Levens singled in a run in the first, while Deegan Richards had a two-run single in the second and Drew Marolt drove two home with a fourth-inning single.

Ely had nine hits in all, with Levens finishing with two.

Junior catcher Ben Leeson singled in a run and his older brother Sam, a senior, singled and scored once.

The lopsided win eased some of the sting following the loss against GNK, at Nashwauk.

Winning pitcher Austin Anderson and teammates Thomas Vekich, who earned a save, combined on 16 strikeouts and worked into and out of trouble, stranding numerous Ely runners.

The Wolves left 11 men on base during the game, with Drew Johnson collecting two hits and a run scored.

Marolt and Sam Leeson added hits, and Chittum drove in a run.

On the mound, Marolt worked the first four innings, giving up five hits with six strikeouts. He yielded all four runs, but just one was earned.

Chittum tossed two innings of scoreless relief, striking out four.

Ely is in action this weekend on its annual southern trip, taking on Kenyon-Wanamingo Friday and Hayfield Saturday.

A home game follows Monday against Silver Bay.