Justin St. Ours | Daily Press Escanaba’s Erica Moore (center) tags out Kingsford’s Claire Phillips (left) at third base Thursday in Escanaba.

ESCANABA — It was a clean sweep for the Escanaba softball team Thursday as they took the opener (14-4) and nightcap (9-3) from Kingsford in Escanaba.

The Eskymos took the lead early in the nightcap and never let go.

“I think our dugout was really good today,” Esky coach Andy Fields said. “That’s probably our best attribute right now, our dugout. The girls stay up. When we get down, the girls find a way to get back up. I’m happy overall, but I know we can play better.”

In the bottom of the second, Esky added four of its nine runs.

Erica Moore started the Eskymos off with a fly-triple to right, and Paxton Bullen followed up with a single on a grounder toward third.

Then, Esky’s Nicole Kamin — who finished with four RBIs and went 3-4 at bat — flew out and kicked off a double play with Bullen getting picked off at third but Moore crossing home for the first run of the game.

It was one single after another as Lizzy Sliva reached, and — after Sliva stole second — Abby Hill singled again to drive Sliva in and make it 2-0 Esky.

Shortly after, Carney Salo delivered with a ground double to left that earned two RBIs as McKenna Bullen and Hill scored.

The Eskymos exited the second after an impressive streak of protection from Carsyn Segorski, who mowed through 10 foul balls before flying out to center.

“We came around and battled back offensively in the second game,” Flivvers coach Cori Rice said. “I think our outfield did a good job today with keeping a lot of well-hit balls in front of them.”

The Flivvers couldn’t find their footing in the top of the third as they went four and out.

In the bottom, Esky added two more runs thanks to a single from Kamin to score Moore and a single from Sliva that let Kamin cross home plate.

To start the fourth, the Flivvers’ Lizzy Cross drew a walk and advanced to second on the groundout just after.

It was Macy Holmes’ line-drive single to center that earned the Flivvers’ first run and RBI of the game as Cross scored.

No one could say Allie Lavarnway didn’t do her part as she stepped up and homered right over center field fence on her second swing to bring in two runs and cut the Flivvers’ deficit to 6-3.

However, they would be the last runs of the game for Kingsford (12-8), and Escanaba added three more in the sixth to seal the game.

Salo collected two RBIs and two hits. McKayla Mott, McKenna Bullen, Paxton Bullen and Hill each earned two hits apiece, and Sliva finished with three and an RBI.

Mott went the distance for the Eskymos, allowing eight hits, three runs and two walks while striking out five.

Lavarnway finished with two RBIs and two hits, and Holmes added one RBI and one hit.

Escanaba ended the opener in the fifth inning with six runs in the bottom.

“First game went pretty well,” Fields said. “We got off to a slow start. I think it was the timing of the pitcher. As the game went on, we started hitting.”

Despite the finish, Kingsford started early with two runs in the first thanks to a single from Claire Phillips that scored Lavarnway and Teagan Petschar.

“We cleaned up our defense in the second game for sure,” Rice said. “It was just a lot of little things in the first game. We started off well in the first game, but it seemed like we fell apart in the middle. We were just doing things that were defensively uncharacteristic for us.”

Esky matched in the bottom and added one in the third and five in the fourth.

Emily Moore went the distance and earned a win for the Eskymos, allowing six hits, four runs (2 ER) and two walks while fanning 10.

Mott contributed five RBIs and went 2-3 at the plate, and Paxton Bullen and McKenna Bullen collected two RBIs apiece. Segorski went 3-3 at bat, and Erica Moore chipped in two hits.

Bortolini took the loss for the Flivvers, allowing 14 hits, 14 runs (8 ER) and walked two while fanning one.

Phillips chipped in two RBIs, and Lavarnway, Phillips and Holmes earned a hit apiece.

Escanaba travels to Canton over the weekend to face off against Schoolcraft, Allen Park and L’Anse Creuse North on Saturday. Kingsford hosts Gladstone Monday.