It’s hard to believe the school year—and the softball season that whizzed by with it—are already over. Maybe it’s just northern Minnesota math: winter lingers, spring sprints.
It certainly still felt like winter for the Silver Bay Mariners as they headed into the playoffs, taking on Mountain Iron-Buhl on May 20 in a biting 25-degree windchill.
“It was a tough day to play but the girls were tough,” said Head Coach Mike Guzzo. “They hung on and beat them in five innings, 20-10. Lots of people had a good game.”
Pitching for the Mariners was Berkley Hoff, who had five strikeouts and five walks. Top hitters for the game included junior Madison Ollman, who went 4-for-5 with six RBIs.
“She hit a home run over the fence, grand slam,” said the coach. “So that was big.”
Sophomore Michaela Lindgren was 2-for-4 with a home run, driving in three runs. Kinley Nelson, who will be a freshman next year, also batted well, going 3-for-4. Her coach mentioned in a previous interview that she is one of the “best hitters on the team.”
The girls headed to Cherry on May 22 and played what the coach described as “probably the worst game I’ve ever had a team play in the playoffs.”
The Tigers beat the Mariners 10-1, though the game wasn’t a runaway at first.
“It was actually a better game than the score was,” said Guzzo. “It was 1 to 0 in the fifth inning, then the wheels came off the bus. We made three errors in the inning and gave them five runs. The next thing you know, it was 6 to nothing.”
Despite the rough outing, Hoff pitched well and was the top hitter, going 2-for-3.
Silver Bay faced Mountain Iron-Buhl once more and managed to shake off their previous loss of the day after some early challenges.
“We beat them 16 to 6 this time. It was another good game for us because we got behind early, 3 to 0,” said Guzzo. “The girls did a good job of battling back and keeping themselves in the tournament.”
Throwing a seven-hitter with three strikeouts, Ollman was the game’s winning pitcher against the Rangers. Sophomore Anna Klemmer was 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Natalee Walker, a junior this year, went 3-for-3 with three RBIs. Junior Karly Nelson was 2-for-2 with an RBI, and Kinley Nelson went 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
On May 27, the team headed to Grand Rapids and faced South Ridge, ultimately beating them 5-2.
“We had a really good game,” said Guzzo. “South Ridge is a good team, and we played good ball. Our girls kept battling and we had some timely hitting.”
Hoff threw well with eight strikeouts and two walks. She also went 2-for-4 at the plate. Sophomore Callie Ernest batted 2-for-3, as did Walker. Ollman went 2-for-4.
The win advanced the Mariners to a rematch against Cherry. The game “went much better but had a very sad ending,” explained Guzzo.
“We were ahead 2 to 0 going into the bottom of the seventh and they had one out and nobody on base and they won 3 to 2,” he recalled. “The good news is they kind of earned it because they got a double, a walk, and a double and a single to beat us.”
The loss came as a tough blow to the team.
“We were cruising along the whole game, and they hadn’t scored a run in six innings. They actually never scored in their previous game, so they were in a real drought. So I give them credit that they pieced some hits together to win the game.”
The coach expressed considerable pride in the team’s turnaround against Cherry.
“I’m pretty proud because they played their worst game I’ve ever had a team play in the playoffs against Cherry and then they came back,” he said. “They really should have won the game as well as they played, for being in the lead the whole game.”
Though the season didn’t end quite as anyone hoped, the team finished with an outstanding 18-6 record and placed third in their section.
“We have been 3rd the last 2 years and 2nd the year before that,” reported the coach.
The Mariners boast four All-Conference players this season: Ollman, Hoff, Kinley Nelson, and Klemmer. They will play at the Polar League All-Conference All-Star game on June 16 in Duluth. Ollman also made Second Team All-State.
“Another really good team,” Guzzo said of this year’s squad. “To do it 3 years in a row from a small town and a small program, I think it speaks volumes.”
With the entire starting lineup returning next year, Guzzo pointed out the young team is full of potential.
“You can only expect a good season next year as long as they stay in school, are healthy, and eligible,” said Guzzo.
Cook County’s playoff run was cut short on May 20 by Ely, finishing with a 1-13 record. Two Harbors fell to Mesabi East on May 21 and ended the season 3-13 overall.
All teams battled hard and showed great determination this year. With young talent developing across the area, next season promises to be one to watch.
