Mott, Eskymos Roll Past Braves In Rivalry Softball

Click the thumbnails to see photos and videos, and hear interviews with McKayla Mott, Carney Salo, and Escanaba Coach Andy Fields.

GLADSTONE---McKayla Mott threw a two-hit shutout and the Escanaba Eskymos broke a scoreless tie with a seven-run third inning on the way to a 13-0 mercy-shortened win over the Gladstone Braves on Tuesday.

It was the first meeting between the Delta County rivals in two years, after the entire 2020 softball season was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic.

"We're coming together now," Escanaba Manager Andy Fields said. "We played our best weekend of softball (downstate). We got off to a slow start this season, with everything going on with (COVID) quarantining and Spring Break. But now, we're starting to hit our groove."

Fields says he was not expecting such an easy victory.

"You never expect that with Gladstone," Fields said. "I've been in these games many many years, through Little League and now high school. Today, I didn't expect this because she (Montgomery Pepin) is a good pitcher.""

Mott ran into trouble only one time, in the bottom of the third inning, after her teammates had already given her a 7-0 lead. In that inning, Lu Martinez was safe on an error, Maggie Buckley got a base hit, and with two out, Kenzington Pepin walked to load the bases.

Mott struck out Marnea LaFave to end the threat.

Before that, Escanaba broke a 0-0 tie with a top of the third that saw eleven batters come to the plate. Maddy Monkevich's two-run single made it a 3-0 game, then Nicole Kamin, batting in the #9 spot in the line-up, smacked an RBI triple past the Braves center fielder to the outfield fence. McKenna Bullen followed with an RBI single of her own.

Escanaba scored five more runs in the fourth inning to put the game away. Bullen had a two-run double and Carney Salo unloaded on a two-run homer over the left field fence.

"It just felt like an effortless swing, honestly," Salo said. "I didn't really think it was going to go over until I saw it. I used to go to Gladstone and play sports for them, so it kind of gets me going a little bit to come back and play them."

Mott helped her own cause with an RBI single.

Gladstone freshman Montgomery Pepin struck out the side in the second inning, but otherwise, the Escanaba batters had their way with her. They had nine base hits and she walked five batters. Pepin ended up with five strikeouts.

Mott, meanwhile, struck out seven and walked just one. She also hit a batter.

"We threw a lot of (pitches) by moving up, down, a lot of rises," Mott said. "And we mixed the changeup in a lot too. I feel great about it. The first inning (scoreless) kind of got me a little worried because I thought it might be a little closer."

Esky's Carsyn Segorski had a single and stole two bases. She also drew two walks in a pair of eleven-pitch at-bats and eventually scored both times she drew those long walks.

"It wears the pitcher down," Fields said of Segorski's long at-bats. "It just keeps the inning going and it's really draining on a pitcher."

Escanaba (12-7), ranked No. 4 in the state in Division Two, was coming off a five-game roadtrip to downstate Canton for the Michigahn Softball Challenge, where the Eskymos went 3-2 over the weekend. The Eskymos will go back down to Canton this weekend for another tournament. But first, they will face the undefeated Negaunee Miners on Thursday.

Gladstone, which split a doubleheader with Kingsford on Monday, fell to 11-8 with Tuesday's loss. The Braves will travel to Menominee for a doubleheader before facing Escanaba in a renatch next Tuesday afternoon in Escanaba.