FRANKENMUTH — The Escanaba softball team engaged in a defensive battle against Frankenmuth Friday, but the Eskymos scored two in extras to finish the Eagles 3-1 in eight innings at Frankenmuth.

“My girls played really well,” coach Andy Fields said. “They were ready to go tonight. It was a good team we played tonight and a good pitcher.

“Seeing a pitcher of that caliber this early in the season, and for us to come out with a win, I’m happy about it.”

The Eskymos got on the board in the top of the third when McKenna Bullen hit a grounder to push in Lizzy Sliva. However, Frankenmuth added one of its own in the bottom to tie it at one.

Neither team was able to keep runners on the bags long enough to score until the top of the eighth.

Esky, already with two quick outs at the start, had Bullen on base after a double. Immediately after, Carney Salo singled on a grounder to score Bullen’s courtesy runner Carley McInerny and take a 2-1 lead.

After Delaney McIntyre took the place of Salo, Carsyn Segorski allowed McIntyre to cross home plate on a fly double to left field.

Entering the bottom of the eighth, it was up to the Eskymos defense to finish the game.

The Eagles were given their first out on an Emily Moore strikeout, then Segorski scooped one up and got it to first baseman Nicole Kamin for the groundout, and then, Moore sealed the game with another strikeout.

“Our girls battled, and we had a lot of contact tonight,” Fields said. “It just didn’t come together every inning for us. We didn’t have a lot of baserunners on. There was kind of a gust … our balls were hanging up in the air.”

Moore went the distance for the Eskymos and earned the win, allowing seven hits, one run and two walks while fanning 11.

Bullen, Salo and Segorski finished with a hit apiece, and Salo and Segorski each collected an RBI.

“It was more or less two good teams playing it out, and at the end of the day we got it done,” Fields said.

Escanaba continues its trip downstate today, facing Hartland, Detroit-Mercy and Macomb Dakota.