Salo threw a perfect game with 19 strikeouts as the Eskymos opened their outdoor season with a 4-0 win against host Rapid River. Esky also shut out the Rockets 10-0 in a five-inning nightcap on freshman Nicole Kamin’s two-hitter.

Salo, the sophomore standout verbally committed to Wisconsin-Madison, struck out all but two Rapid River batters. Gwen Naeyaert was thrown out on a bunt attempt in the sixth inning and Tina Olsen fouled out near home plate on a stellar diving play by Esky third baseman Maddy Griffin.

“She’s fantastic,” Esky coach Jamie Segorski said about Salo, who didn’t let chilly and windy conditions bother her. “She’s physically imposing and strong. She puts the ball where she needs to put it. She does a great job with her location and her movement is really coming along. We are tickled pink where she is right now.”

Esky (3-0) had to work to support Salo as Rockets’ ace Brittany Schwartz also had a strong outing. Schwartz scattered eight hits, with eight strikeouts and two walks.

Mike Mattson | Daily Press the Rockets’ Gwen Naeyaert eyes a flyball in centerfield in Game 1 Wednesday at Rapid River.

“Brittany is a good pitcher,” Segorski said. “She locates the ball well and changes speeds well. We started out kind of slow, but it’s because she’s pretty good.”

Esky scored two runs in the third inning after Maddie Kolich walked. Speedy leadoff hitter Lexi Chaillier put down a bunt, but an error on the throw led to both Kolich and Chaillier scoring. Chaillier led the Eskymos with three hits and three runs scored.

Taylor Gauthier knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning and Claire McInerney knocked in another run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning.

The Division 4 Rockets, who went 1-3 last weekend facing four Division 1 schools at Saline, met a buzzsaw in Salo.

“(Escanaba) is a potential state champion if they get a break or two along the way,” said Rockets’ coach George Kanyuh, whose team is 3-5. “They have the pitcher.

“The first game, other than the (third inning) a couple mistakes got them a couple of runs. I felt we showed our best and went toe-to-toe with them. We weren’t hitting, but the pitching, the defense and the attitude, we were in the game mentally, physically and emotionally. We just weren’t executing whatsoever against a pitcher. The second game was pathetic. We were flat. It was like they spent everything the first game and there was nothing left there mentally and emotionally.”

In the second game, Kamin made her varsity debut in the circle, allowing two hits, fanning eight and walking six.

Myah Pearson broke up Kamin’s no-hitter with a single in the fourth inning and Olsen added a base hit in the fifth.

“We are really excited to see her throw,” Segorski said about Kamin. “You never know how a person is going to respond in their first varsity game in an Eskymo uniform. She just did a fantastic job. She struggled a little bit with her control, but when she did, she really gutted it out and made the big pitch when she needed to make the big pitch. It says a lot about her.”

Esky erupted for six runs in the second inning and four runs in the third inning.

The Eskymos collected 11 hits, with Chaillier belting a two-run homer in the second inning and McInerney producing three hits including an RBI double in the third inning.

Rapid River freshman Natalie Belanger pitched four innings, allowing six hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Reliever Lexi Trombley worked one inning, allowing four runs, five hits and fanning one.

“Is Escanaba a good team, better than us?” Kanyuh said. “Sure, I will give them that. But we should have been better than 10-0 in five innings that second game.”

Kanyuh said the grueling early-season schedule against bigger schools should help the Rockets once they play similar-sized schools in the state tournament.

The Rockets also will welcome back senior standout catcher Richelle Vandeville, who was on a family trip this week

Rapid River hosts Hancock Friday in a doubleheader, while Escanaba ventures downstate for a doubleheader Friday at Essexville-Garber and a doubleheader Saturday at Bay City Western.

“We are jumping right into the fire. Essexville-Garber has one of the better teams they’ve had in a long time. We are excited to go play them and Bay City Western is always a good team. It will be a great weekend of softball. We could come out 0-4 or 4-0 or 2-2. No matter what it is, it will make us better this weekend.”