Todd Rose | Daily Press Escanaba's Mikiaden Hughes takes a swing Saturday morning during a game against Kingsford in Escanaba.

ESCANABA — Zahn Anderson came through in the clutch for the Escanaba Boys’ Major Little League All-Stars here Sunday as they escaped with a 6-5 baseball triumph over Norway.

Anderson ripped a one-out single to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning, enabling Alex Ison to score the game-winner.

“That was the biggest hit of the season,” said Esky manager Dan Garcia. “That was the shot. We’ve had back-to-back great games. Norway is a very well-coached team. They’re always tough to beat. Our guys are pumped up. They’re excited.”

Esky hosts Kingsford in the championship game today at 4:30 at Karl Dickson Memorial Field.

Another game, if necessary, will be played at 6:30. The winner advances to the state tournament at Grosse Pointe.

Kingsford defeated Esky 2-0 in Saturday’s district opener.

Ison led off the sixth with an infield single, went to second on a wild pitch and reached third on a passed ball Sunday.

Norway scored three times in the first before Esky got on the board on Willie Derkos’ single to left.

A double to center by Kaleb Lapine gave Norway a 4-1 advantage in the second.

Esky scored twice on a fielding error, and Andrew Junttila tied the score on a passed ball in the second.

Norway took a 5-4 lead on a pair of miscues in the fourth before Esky pulled even on Anderson’s double to right-center in its half of the inning.

“We came ready to play but ran out of pitching,” said Norway manager Kiel Ross. “We had to burn out a lot of arms to get here. That’s always the hardest thing about coming through the loser’s bracket, but I’m proud of the way the guys battled.”

Norway, which fell to Kingsford 19-0 in an area tourney opener, collected five hits. Esky also had five hits. Ison and Anderson had two each for Esky. Landon Ross and Lapine had two apiece for Norway.

Ison, the last of three Esky pitchers, took the win. He struck out seven, walked one and gave up a hit through 4 1/3 innings.

“Alex hadn’t pitched through the whole tournament, but today, he threw 74 pitches and pitched great,” said Garcia.

Beau Maule, who absorbed the loss, fanned four, walked three and allowed six runs on four hits through 5 2/3 frames.

“Beau pitched a whale of a game, and Escanaba is a whale of a team,” said manager Ross. “We made the plays we had to, and they came up with the timely hit when they had to. They hit the ball well.”

Pinch-hitter Cooper Kreski drove in both of Kingsford’s runs on a single to center in the fourth inning in Saturday’s opener.

“This was Cooper’s day for sure,” said Kingsford manager Chris Steber. “Anytime you can get ahead of a pitcher like him (Brody Ison) it’s huge. We’re very happy with our defense and pitching. Only, we have to be a little more aggressive at the plate.”

Esky threatened in the sixth but left baserunners on first and third in a contest that lasted just 64 minutes.

“This was about as quick a game you could get,” said Garcia. “We had a good chance. Cole (Schroeder) laid down a good bunt and beat it out. It was a well-pitched game both ways.”

Kingsford’s Mason Koski and Bradley Steber combined on a three-hitter. Brody Ison took the loss despite tossing a two-hitter and striking out 10 and walking just one.

“Brody is a big-game type of guy,” said Garcia. “He really stepped it up. This was a great game that was fun to play.”

The teams committed an error apiece.

Norway’s bats came alive in the fourth inning in a 7-1 conquest of Gladstone Saturday.

The winners collected six hits in the final two frames while scoring three times in the fifth and four in the sixth.

Pryer Labonte clubbed a two-run single to right-center in the fourth, and Kaden Malone blooped a two-run double to left in the fifth.

Norway took advantage of two errors, a walk and two hit batsmen in the final two frames.

Lapine and Malone combined on a one-hitter, allowing a single to left by Nate Beauchamp in the fifth.

Vinny Rebholz scored on a passed ball for Gladstone in the second.

Rebholz, who pitched four innings, absorbed the loss. He fanned three, walked none and allowed five runs on four hits.

“Vinny pitched great,” said Gladstone manager Mike Sanville. “We were aggressive on the bases, and they made the plays. This is a good group of boys, and I’m proud of them. Our kids had fun playing together. They started hitting the ball harder in the late innings and threw two pretty good pitchers. Momentum is a big thing for 10, 11 and 12-year-old boys.”