SAULT STE. MARIE---The Escanaba Cubs American Legion baseball team shook off Friday night's extra inning loss by winning two games on Saturday at the Wood Ducks Tournament in Sault Ste. Marie.

Meanwhile, at the same tournament, the Marquette Blues suffered a pair of lopsided losses after winning their first game Friday night.

The Cubs started the day with a 9-6 win over the Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox, winning despite the fact that they made five more errors that accounted for four of the six Soo runs.

Bon LaChance threw four innings for the Cubs, striking out seven batters but also walking six batters, hitting another, and throwing two wild pitches. It was good enough for the win on the mound, with only two of the six runs against him earned.

Nick Chiu came in and threw three strong innings of relief to get the save. He needed only 30 pitches to navigate those three innings, and allowed only two base hits.

Offensively, Escanaba's big inning was the bottom of the third, when they turned a 4-1 Black Sox lead into a 6-4 Cubs lead with a five-run rally. LaChance had a two-run double during that inning and Ben Johnson and Bryce Blixt both had RBI singles.

The Black Sox tied the game in the fourth inning at 6-6, but in the bottom of the inning, LaChance smacked another RBI single and Jack McEvers followed with an RBI hit.

The second game saw the Cubs use two big innings to beat the Northern Michigan Patriots out of Charlevoix, 12-2. They trailed 1-0 in the bottom of the third inning before scoring four times, and then they put the game away with six runs in the fourth.

In that third inning, Johnson helped his own cause with a two-run single, and Matt Kaven contributed an RBI hit. Then in the next inning, Kaven added another RBI hit, Chase Cloutier had a bunt single, and Eli Gardner added an RBI single.

Johnson pitched all five innings, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks. He also hit two batters but managed to strike out six batters.

Escanaba (7-7 overall, 2-1 in this tournament) will face the Sault Canada Black Sox again on Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

MARQUETTE LOSES TWICE---The Marquette Blues had a rough Saturday, losing to the host Eastern U.P. Wood Ducks, 10-0, and then falling to the Sault Canada Black Sox, 18-9.

In the first game, the Blues managed only two base hits against EUP pitcher Garrett Gorsuch: a double by A.J. Martin and a single from Easton Miller. Gorsuch struck out six batters and needed only 68 pitches to throw all five innings in the mercy-shortened game.

Meanwhile, Marquette pitcher Keith Judici didn't make it past the second inning, charged with eight runs on eight hits (five of the runs unearned, thanks to more Blues defensive errors). Three more pitchers mopped up for the Blues. Avery Wilson went 3-for-4 at the plate for the Wood Ducks.

In the second game, the Blues made six more errors on defense as the Canadian team pounded out 13 base hits in the 18-9 win that went the full seven innings. Miller led the way offensively with a double, two singles, and two RBI for the Blues. But Blues pitchers Gibby Jezewski (five runs in two innings) and Dakota Maki (ten runs in four innings) couldn't pitch over the errors behind them. Seven of the 18 Canadian runs were unearned.

Marquette fell to 9-8 on the season, and 1-2 in this tournament. The Blues will play the Northern Michigan Patriots Sunday morning at 10:00.