ESCANABA — The Escanaba Major Little League (age 10-12) All-Stars advanced and Gladstone stayed alive by posting victories in the District 10 softball tournament here Sunday night.

Esky defeated Iron Mountain North 11-6 and Gladstone eliminated Kingsford 4-1 at Lemerand Park.

Gladstone faced Iron Mountain in an elimination contest Monday night.

Esky hosts the winner in tonight’s championship round which begins at 5 p.m. on Abramson Field. Another game, if needed, will start at 7.

The Esky All-Stars took a 6-0 lead on a two-run single to rightfield by Barlow Bosk in the third inning.

Iron Mountain, taking advantage of two walks and an error, sliced its deficit in half by scoring three times in the fourth.

Esky answered with three runs of its own in the fifth.

Genevieve Fields raised the count to 8-3 on a two-run double along the leftfield line, then scored Esky’s ninth run on Ruby Jacobsen’s ground out to second.

The winners then added a pair of runs on Haylee Trombley’s double to right for an 11-3 advantage in the sixth.

“We talked to the girls about putting the ball in play and taking extra bases when they could,” Esky head coach Danicia Humbert said. “Our whole team is a very good hitting team. This is a good tournament. We’re having good battles all the way around.”

Gianna Newberry ripped a two-run triple to right in North’s half of the inning, then concluded the scoring on Ellen Daab’s single to right.

Esky, cashing in on two of North’s nine errors, took a 1-0 lead in the first.

In the second, Esky scored three more times by taking advantage of two miscues and Evelyn Young’s RBI double to center for a 4-0 cushion.

Esky finished with nine hits, including two each by Fields and Zionnah Boursaw.

Newberry paced IM North with two hits and three RBIs, including a single to center in the fourth.

“We had some errors, but we’re allowed to lose two games,” IM coach Travis Johnson said. “That’s a good team. We had some chances and they made the plays. Their starting pitcher is pretty good. Their reliever was pretty good, too.”

Esky’s Amaya Hubert, who pitched the first three innings and returned to the mound in the sixth, struck out four, walked three and allowed three runs on three hits.

Barlow Bosk worked the fourth and fifth. She fanned two, walked four and gave up three runs on two hits.

Newberry, who pitched the entire contest, absorbed the loss. She whiffed one and walked none.

In the second game, Kingsford opened the scoring on Halle Maki’s single to right.

Gladstone tied the score on Stella Ruether’s single to right in the second, then added three runs in the fourth.

Maia Hughes gave Gladstone a 2-1 lead on a wild pitch and Ellie Sanville scored its third run on a wild pitch. Izzy Kidd then ended the scoring on Ruether’s double to right.

“I was a little scared,” Gladstone coach Brenda Damitz said. “That was really a good game. We told the girls if they made an error, we better be up and going. I think they realized that you can come back at any time. One error can change a whole game.”

Gladstone managed four hits off Maci Mae Brooks, who pitched the entire game and struck out seven and walked three.

Maia Hughes, who pitched the first two frames for Gladstone, struck out two, walked one and allowed two hits.

Ellie Sanville then provided the winners with four innings of no-hit relief. She fanned eight and walked two.

“The girls are trying to get the hits,” Kingsford coach Ashley Buckman said. “They know the game. We came out strong and had the lead. Overall, the girls kept their heads up. They never gave up. Maci Mae pitched strong.”