Kingsford won both of its games to capture the Northland Pines tournament Saturday. From left, Caleb Erickson, Devin Miller, Jonah Doenier, Brock Flamino, Noah Trulock, Jack Kriegl, Jacob Deuter, Jack Spreen and Logan Grondin. (Jennifer Spreen photo)

EAGLE RIVER, Wis. – Behind a pair of long balls from junior Devin Miller, Kingsford moved above .500 for the first time this season, holding off Ashland 15-13 Saturday to win a tournament at Northland Pines High School.

The Flivvers (11-10) defeated Chequamegon 13-8 in the first game.

Miller, who leads the Flivvers with three home runs this season, connected for a leadoff solo shot in the top of the second, and then went deep again during a seven-run fourth for a two-run blast that made it 10-3 Flivvers. Both of Miller’s homers cleared the fence in the nearly the same spot in left field.

Kingsford led 15-7 before Ashland tallied six runs in their final at-bat in the bottom of the seventh and brought the potential tying run to the plate before fly ball caught by junior Caleb Erickson deep in left finally ended the game.

Miller finished 3-for-5 in the game. Junior Logan Grondin had a 5-for-5 game with one RBI, junior Noah Trulock notched three hits with two RBIs, and senior Jack Kriegl added two RBIs. Junior Jonah Doenier smacked a triple with a RBI, while senior Jacob Deuter, junior Brock Flamino and Erickson all drove in runs.

Trulock started and earned the win on the mound with three innings of work, allowing seven hits, four earned runs while striking out two and walking one. Junior Jack Spreen pitched the final four innings giving up eight hits while striking out three and walking two. He was only charged with two runs.

The Flivvers needed extra innings in the first game, scoring five runs in the top of the eighth to take command after losing a 5-1 lead earlier in the contest.

Kriegl, Grondin and Flamino paced the Flivver’s 14-hit attack in the first game. Kriegl laced four hits with a double, while Grondin went 3-for-5 with a double. Flamino pounded a pair of doubles and drove in five runs. Trulock was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, bringing in the go-ahead run in the eighth with a single. Deuter brought in two insurance runs with a chopper over third base during the big eighth inning.

Doenier started and went five innings, yielding seven hits and five earned runs with three strikeouts and six walks. Trulock pitched the final three, giving up just one more hit and no earned runs while fanning three and walking one.

Kingsford played with exactly nine players Saturday, as some of the underclassmen who have been up on varsity returned to the JV team to defend the team’s U.P. junior varsity title at the championship tournament in Marquette. The Flivvers rolled through to Sunday’s championship defeating Sault Ste. Marie (19-0), Gwinn (14-4), Negaunee (11-9) and Calumet (11-1). In a rematch with Negaunee in Sunday’s final, the Flivvers built a 7-1 lead through four and held on for an 8-5 win to secure the title and improve to 14-0-1 for the season.

Kingsford varsity, scheduled to play at Houghton today, visits Menominee on Wednesday and plays at Norway Thursday with districts coming up at Lodal Park beginning May 29.