Kingsford senior Jazzlyne Shaughnessy rounds second after her hit is misplayed in right field during the first game of a doubleheader with Marquette on Thursday afternoon at Lodal Park. (Ron Deuter photo)

KINGSFORD – Kingsford had the game on the bases in its final at-bat of both games of a doubleheader against Marquette Thursday afternoon at Lodal Park, but came up short both times and the Sentinels held off the Flivvers 5-3 and 6-5.

Kingsford, slipping to 4-7, finds itself in a five-game skid after playing three doubleheaders over three consecutive days.

“A lot of good things occurred tonight on the field but unfortunately as a team we’re failing to “close the door” defensively,” Kingsford head coach Amy Brunswick said. “Our pitchers are doing a great job commanding the zone but the team overall needs to improve and support them on routine plays.”

The Flivvers committed four errors in the first game and another three in the second.

The first game went back and forth, with Kingsford down 6-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh. A lead-off single by sophomore Kyra Clement and a walk by junior Kailey Matuszewski gave the Flivvers two on with one out. Sophomore Jolie Fleming then hit a sacrifice fly to center to make it a one-run game. Senior Karly Trevillian smoked a two-out single up the middle to move the tying run to second, but Matuszewski was left stranded there.

After falling behind 4-0 in the second game through the first four and half innings, the Flivvers rallied for a run in the bottom of the fifth and two more in the sixth. The Flivvers put their first two runners on in the bottom of the seventh as junior Kelsey Strauss was hit by a pitch followed by senior Grace Rice drawing a base on balls.

Fleming came to the plate with one away and ripped a double. Strauss rounded third and attempted to score but was tagged out in a collision with the catcher, who looked to be in the baseline a few feet ahead of home plate. A groundout came next for the third and final out.

Fleming’s double was one of two hits she had in the game. Freshman Miley Bray, appearing in her third game with the varsity this season, recorded her first varsity hits with a double to center and a RBI triple to left in the two-run sixth. She drove in Matuszewski, who tripled ahead of Bray, and then scored on a wild pitch.

Matuszewski brought home senior Adelyn Normand in the fifth inning with a groundout after Normand led off with a single. Junior Mya Brunswick and senior Adelyn Normand added singles to the Flivvers’ seven-hit total.

Trevillian took the loss in the second game. She allowed 10 hits but only two earned runs while striking out five and walking four. She led the Flivvers’ six-hit attack in the first game with two singles, her first one driving in two to put Kingsford ahead 3-2 in the third.

Brunswick added a double and Fleming had a single in the game one loss. Brunswick also circled the bases on a dropped fly in the sixth to bring the Flivvers within two at 6-4. She took the L in the circle, allowing 10 hits and charged with one earned run. She fanned nine and walked only one.

“We just need to move forward and focus on playing clean ball,” Brunswick said. “We did a much better job at bat tonight — and continue to be aggressive on our base running.”

There was no JV game on Thursday. The Flivvers host Escanaba Tuesday and travel to Gladstone Wednesday.