Shell Lake is a perfect 3-0 against Mellen since April of 2024 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Lakers will head out on the road to square off against the Grainte Diggers at 3:30 p.m.
Grantsburg hit Shell Lake with a four-run seventh inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Lakers lost 7-1 to the Pirates.
Grace Naessen
| 04/21/26 vs Grantsburg | 6 |
| 04/14/26 vs Luck | 7 |
| 03/31/26 vs Bloomer | 7 |
Grace Naessen spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and four unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up six Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Shell Lake saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Quinn Schenkenberg, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
Meanwhile, Mellen waltzed into their game on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They put the hurt on the Midgets with a sharp 18-1 victory. The Grainte Diggers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by nine runs or more this season.
Maleah Nortunen was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Nortunen was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of her four plate appearances with five stolen bases and four runs.
In other batting news, Mellen got a massive performance out of Trinity Conley, who went 2-for-3 with four stolen bases, four runs, and one RBI. Those stolen bases marked the first that Conley has snagged this season. Another player making a difference was Rilyn Kruzan, who went 2-for-4 with five RBI, one triple, and one stolen base.
Mellen now has a winning record of 4-3. As for Shell Lake, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-4.
Everything went Shell Lake's way against Mellen in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, as Shell Lake made off with a 16-7 win. Do the Lakers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Grainte Diggers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
