Esky 11u Girls Off To Great Start At State Tourney

Click the thumbnails for photos from Saturday's game

GLADSTONE---The Escanaba 11u girls Little League All-Star softball team is off to a good start at the state tournament in Gladstone, picking up two wins by a combined score of 40-0 heading into Sunday's final pool play games. Escanaba beat Sparta, 18-0, on Friday, and tehen turned back Schoolcraft, 22-0, in Saturday's game. Both ended on the mercy rule.

It's a six-team tournament, with games being played at the Gladstone High School fields. The other teams in the tournament are Marquette, Taylor North, St. Clair, as well as Escanaba's first two opponents (Sparta and Schoolcraft).

Four of the six teams in the event will advance to the semifinals on Monday.

In Saturday's game, Gabby Parlato had an inside-the-park grand slam home run to lead the Escanaba offensive onslaught. They scored seven runs in the second inning and then added 15 runs in the second inning. The game was called by the mercy rule in the third inning.

Parlato ended up with six runs batted in and had three base hits in the game. Kinsley Williams added a pair of hits and two runs batted in. Ava Jackson went 3-for-3 and drove in a pair of runs, and she threw a scoreless inning in the circle. Addyson Stopich threw the last two innings, also allowing no runs and no hits. She struck out five of the outs she recorded.

In all, Escanaba had 16 base hits.

In Friday's win over Sparta, Escanaba pounded out 18 base hits. Parlato had three more hits, Jackson had two, and Brynn Lucas added a home run and two RBI. Jackson pitched all three innings of the mercy-shortened game and allowed one hit.

Escanaba takes on Taylor North at noon on Sunday in Gladstone, then it's off to the semifinals Monday morning at 10:00.

MARQUETTE GETS SPLIT---The other Upper Peninsula team in the event, Marquette, picked up a win on Friday, 19-0 over Schoolcraft, before dropping a tough 6-4 decision to St. Clair on Saturday.

Makayla Gustafson threw well in both games for Marquette, but in the loss to St. Clair, was victimized by errors behind her. She allowed only one base hit, walked only two, and struck out ten batters in five innings. But wild pitches and passed balls were costly, along with two errors.

On Friday's win, Gustafson struck out nine and allowed no hits in three innings of pitching. Maddy Havel drobe in four runs with a couple of base hits.

Marquette faces Sparta Sunday morning at 11:00.