Menominee got even in the second contest, however, holding off a late charge by the Flivvers for a 16-13 decision.

“It was a good conference win in the first game,” Flivvers head coach Amy Brunswick said. “We did a great job in the field communicating and we were able to minimize our errors. We were still struggling at the plate, having trouble making the adjustment from practice speed to game speed, but I have confidence we can turn it around, and we showed that in the second game – just a little too late.”

The Flivvers were trailing 2-0 in in the first game into the fifth inning before Rice stepped in and belted a long fly over the fence in left center to tie things up. She later added a run-scoring double in what was a six-run sixth as Kingsford clawed ahead for good.

Brunswick allowed just five hits in the game. Her 15 strikeouts marked a season high and she didn’t walk a batter.

Grace Rice (17) of Kingsford blasts a two-run homer Thursday to tie the game 2-2 against Menominee.

Senior Karly Trevillian also had two of the Flivvers six hits including a fly ball toward the right field line that dropped down for an RBI double to make it 4-2 in the sixth. Sophomore Jolie Fleming scored on the hit after reaching on an error prior to the at-bat – a play that allowed junior Kailey Matuszewski to score the go-ahead run after leading off the sixth with a walk.

Brunswick followed Trevillian’s double with a RBI two-bagger of her own, a hard shot through the left side to make it 5-2. Junor Kelsey Strauss drove in another run in the inning with a groundout, and Kingsford’s final run crossed on a passed ball.

A nine-run fifth inning powered Menominee to a 13-3 lead in the second game. Kingsford added single tallies in the fifth and sixth before erupting for eight runs in their final at-bat in the seventh – four of those coming with two away – but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit as Menominee had added three more in the top half of the seventh.

The Flivvers (8-15) collected 7 of their 14 hits in that final inning. Freshman Miley Bray had a three-hit game with two RBIs. She flew out to right in her final at-bat with the potential tying run in the on-deck circle as the Flivvers’ rally came up just short.

Matuszewski, Trevillian, Fleming and Rice all had two hits. Rice collected another four RBIs, ripping two doubles. Trevillian added a two-out line drive triple to center to score two in the final inning, making it 16-12. She had three RBIs in the game. Brunswick pushed across the final run after that with a single to center. Senior Jazzlyne Shaughnessy also had an RBI hit.

Trevillian shouldered the loss in the circle, with the Maroons’ bats coming alive for 20 hits in the game.

The Flivvers honored their seniors Rice, Shaughnessy, Trevillian and Adelyn Normand in between games, as they play their next seven contests on the road right up until districts. Along with recognizing their seniors, the Flivvers also announced the Maroons’ seniors and presented them with flowers as part of the on-field ceremony.

The Flivvers are in Gaylord for a pair of games this weekend before traveling to face Negaunee Wednesday.

After a 6-0 start to the season, Kingsford’s junior varsity team now sits at 7-5 after splitting with the Maroons Thursday. The Flivvers fell 14-3 before rebounding with a 16-2 victory. Coach John Bray’s squad is adjusting to some lineup changes with Bray and freshman Gracie Chartier spending more time up at the varsity level lately along with the loss of freshman Hannah Deuter, who was batting better than .500 before being sidelined with a knee injury sustained during a hockey scrimmage that will require surgery Monday.

Sophomore Alaysa Bacon smacked a triple in the game one loss. Freshman Alayna Pietrantonio went 2-for-3 and drove in five in the second game including a two-run double. Freshman Lia Murphy collected three hits with a triple and two RBIs. Sophomores Olivia Scott and Haylee Kasten hit triples, while Chartier and freshman Jenna Robb each added two hits. Chartier collected the win, rebounding from the game one loss by going four innings and allowing just four hits while striking out three and walking two.