Kingsford captured the Nick Mazuer Memorial Tournament Saturday down in Gaylord, whipping Gladwin 15-0 and Gaylord 21-15. Pictured from left, Devin Miller, Gino Santoni, Domenic Frederickson, Luke Rice, Colin Olsen, Jonah Doenier, Bradlee Bottesi (holding the plaque), Jack Spreen, Noah Trulock, Logan Grondin, Caleb Erickson, Jacob Deuter. (Karly Trevillian photo

GAYLORD – Kingsford’s red-hot bats slugged 34 hits and produced 36 runs to capture the Nick Mazur Memorial Tournament Saturday afternoon. The Flivvers dumped Gladwin 15-0 in three innings before out-slugging Gaylord 21-15, to extend their win streak to eight straight games.

The Flivvers (8-9), on a tear since their 0-9 start to the season, now have chance to reach the .500 mark when they head to face Iron Mountain this afternoon.

“It was an absolute slugfest,” Flivvers head coach Joe Kriegl said. “I don’t think I’ve even been part of anything like what occurred today. We mashed the ball all over the field, and it was everyone in the lineup, top to bottom!”

Kingsford cracked 15 hits in the opener against Gladwin. Senior Jack Kriegl led the way with a 4-for-4 effort including a double. Junior Noah Trulock, Kingsford’s leader with 20 RBIs on the season, had two hits with three runs driven in, while sophomore Domenic Frederickson and junior Devin Miller also had multiple hits and two RBIs each in the rout, Miller swatting a double. Junior Logan Grondin also connected for double with the bases loaded that brought in all three runners – his fifth two-bagger of the season.

The Flivvers, playing as the home team, scored two in the first inning before piling on five in the second and eight more in the third to bring on the mercy rule. Kriegl worked the mound for Kingsford and kept Gladwin hitless with just one walk while fanning two.

The scoreboard was full of crooked numbers in the second game. After falling behind 3-0 in the first, the Flivvers responded with four runs in their first at-bat. They led 11-5 after two innings thanks to a seven-run second inning, and after Gaylord plated four in the third and one in the fourth, the Flivvers put up an eight spot in the bottom of the fourth to open a 19-10 advantage. Gaylord put up one more big inning with five runs in the fifth, but the Flivvers were able to keep the Blue Devils off the board the rest of the way and added single tallies in the fifth and sixth innings.

“We needed all we could get in the second game against a really good Gaylord team,” Kriegl said. “We had our moments defensively and allowed way too many unearned runs. You don’t usually give up 15 runs and win.”

Kingsford was charged with four errors against Gaylord, so eight of the 15 runs were unearned. Frederickson, freshman Gino Santoni and junior Jonah Doenier shared the mound duties – with Santoni getting credit for the win. Doenier was on the bump over the final three, keeping Gaylord scoreless over the final two frames. He fanned three while walking none.

Doenier paced Kingsford’s 20-hit outburst with a 4-for-5 showing with three doubles and four RBIs, giving him a team-best seven doubles for the season. Senior Jacob Deuter, Miller and freshman Colin Olsen all had three-hit efforts. Deuter whacked a two-run triple in the first inning, and Olsen knocked a double with one RBI. Grondin and Trulock each drove in two runs with multiple hits, and freshman Luke Rice also plated a pair of runs.

“It’s very satisfying to come down here and have a good showing,” Kriegl said. “I sit in the all-region meetings with these same coaches at the end of the season. Competing against them at a high level helps validate our U.P. programs, so I’ve happy for our players.”

After facing Iron Mountain this afternoon, the Flivvers will host Escanaba Tuesday.