Gladstone Little League’s Paisley Branstrom (2) receives high fives from coaches and teammates after scoring a run against Escanaba on July 16, 2024 at Abrahamson Field. (“The Big Dog” Mitch Vosburg Daily Press)

ESCANABA –Postseason play is not for the faint of heart, or those who struggle with high blood pressure.

But for Gladstone minor Little League softball, Tuesday’s matchup against Escanaba provided two opportunities: fall short and have the season come to an end, or win for a winner-take-all showdown on Wednesday for the District 10 title.

Gladstone opted for the latter, scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth for a 5-3 win to force a championship showdown at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Lemerand Park’s Abrahamson Field.

Each team scraped across a run in the first off RBI groundouts for a 1-1 tie which stuck until the fourth inning. Esky found itself ahead 3-2 midway through five frames, and with pitcher Amaya Humbert bringing the heat the odds were in favor of the orange and black.

Then Kali Koski drew a lead-off walk, giving Gladstone a pivotal base runner to start the frame.

Diebolt also drew a free pass to first in the ensuing at-bat, giving Gladstone two crucial base runners wit no outs.

Koski swiped second and advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on a Escanaba error to tie the game at three. Diebolt scored on a passed ball during Isabel Kidd’s at-bat for a 4-3 lead.

Then Stella Ruether came to the plate. She battled Humbert like a pair of heavyweight boxers fighting for the title. For 10 pitches, Ruether fought off everything Humbert threw at her, and the kitchen sink might have been in her back pocket.

But the 11th pitch of the at bat proved to be an RBI single to give Gladstone a 5-3 lead.

But Esky didn’t ease off. Not for a second.

The orange and black had two runners on with two outs and Haylee Trombley up to bat. Trombley connected with a pitch, but it turned into a fielder’s choice force out a third base to end the game.

Escanaba was the first to break the 1-1 tie in the top of the fourth. A lead-off double from Harper Adiska set the table for an opposite field RBI triple from Maci Engebretson, who later scored on a Barlow Bosk groundout for a 3-1 lead.

Gladstone responded in the bottom of the fourth when Paisley Branstrom scored on a passed ball to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Gladstone punched its ticket to Tuesday’s game with a win over Kingsford, albeit an unconventional win.

Gladstone jumped ahead 1-0 after one inning off a Koski RBI single, 2-0 after two after Hadley Hamill walked while swiping second and third base before scoring on a passed ball.

Gladstone’s lead ballooned to 4-0 after three innings off a Maia Hughes RBI single, who later scored on a passed ball.

Kingsford left one runner stranded in the top of the fourth, but as Lainey Wolf saw the final pitches of her at bat rain began to pour. By the time Wolf reached strike three the rain was falling not in a gentle sprinkle, but by what felt like buckets full of precipitation.

In a matter of moments Abrahamson Field began resembling a lake. And since Gladstone led 4-0 in the bottom of the fourth, it reached the requirements for a rain shortened victory.