Scott, Wolves start with win

Junior lefthander Tim Scott kept Eveleth-Gilbert in check Tuesday afternoon with a solid opening effort on the mound.And at the plate, Scott did some damage as well, stroking a three-run triple in a five-run third inning as the Timberwolves hammered the Golden Bears 9-1 in Arrowhead Conference action.Scott, Ely’s most dominating pitcher a year ago, picked up where he left off. He fanned four batters in four innings of work and gave up just three hits.Senior Josh Weckman, the other half of one of the best one-two pitching combinations in Section 7AA, worked the last three frames and held the opponents scoreless to finish an impressive opener for the Wolves.“It was a good way to come out of the blocks,” said Ely Head Coach Frank Ivancich. “I kind of had the feeling our bats would struggle. The bats are usually a bit behind at this time of the season, especially when you consider we don’t get the chance to see a lot of live pitching before we start. But we had a big inning, got some key bunts down and got some hits to put them away.”The Wolves also stymied their hosts, thanks to the pitching staff as well as an Ely defense that committed no errors.Eveleth-Gilbert threatened in the third inning, putting runners at second and third base with no outs. But Scott escaped largely unscathed, thanks to two tough catches by outfielders Aaron Thom and Tony Carlson.In the fourth, the Golden Bears loaded the bases but Scott worked his way out of the jam.Ely got all the runs it would need in the third. Free passes to Drew Hanson and David Urbas, sandwiched between a bunt hit by Kevin Pope, set the table.Thom then delivered with a bloop hit that scored a run, and Weckman followed with a bases loaded walk. Scott added the key blow, a gap shot that cleared the bases and gave the Wolves a 5-0 lead.Thom singled and scored a run in the fifth, while hits by Kai Bowen, Pope and Thom led to a three-run barrage in the sixth.Scott picked up the win, and Weckman showed good control by issuing no walks and striking out three over the last three stanzas.• Thom wound up with two hits, two runs scored and two runs batted in for Ely. Pope added two hits with two runs scored.• In B-squad action, Ely won 8-6.• Ely met Hinckley and East Central over the weekend and the Wolves have two early-week games against Section 7AA opponents.Greenway is here today for a 4:30 p.m. tilt. Proctor comes to Veterans Memorial Field Tuesday, also at 4:30.