Silver Bay softball wins playoff game

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The Silver Bay Mariners softball team hoped to turn around last year’s playoff misfortune Tuesday.

After finishing last season with a record of 16-4, losing in the Section 7A quarterfinals to Nashwauk-Keewatin in 10 innings, the Silver Bay softball team is hoping to go the distance this year.

The two previous years the team finished third and second in the state tournament.

This year’s team, a No. 2 seed in the sub-sections with a record of 13-5, took on No. 7 Hill City Tuesday. They won 10-0.

They will play Mesabi East Thursday in the quarterfinals, at Cohasset at 5 p.m.

“Our section is tough this year,” said head coach Mike Guzzo. “[We] will take one game at a time. Our goal is to make the final four.”

Recently the team lost to a tough Esko club in a tight ball game 3-2. They also lost to a strong Barnum team 3-1 recently to finish up a game delayed by rain that was played previously.

Before that game, the Mariners took care of Moose Lake-Willow River 12-7 after coming from behind 5-0 in the first inning.

In a tournament a few weeks ago, the Mariners took a game from Hibbing 9-1, but lost the next two, 4-3 to Grand Rapids and 7-1 to Duluth Central.

The Mariners club should be solid, however, heading into the playoffs with a lot of experience and a veteran coach.

“We set up our schedule to be tougher at the end of the year,” Guzzo said, adding that the team needs to play good defense and be able to hit the ball well to have success in the playoffs.

Tags: silver bay, high school sports, sports, softball, mariners