Jamie Glenn/Daily Mining Gazette Superior National Bank’s Anders Rautiola connects with a pitch during a game against J. Peltier Construction Thursday in South Range.

SOUTH RANGE — Looking to improve to 7-3 on the season, Superior National Bank was able to do just that in Portage Lake Little League Majors action Thursday at Veterans Field in South Range as they topped J. Peltier Construction, 12-3.

In a leadoff role Thursday, SNB’s Andrew Kilpela doubled and later scored on a sacrifice by Chad Issacson. Kilple had a strong day, racking up three runs scored and going 4-for-5 in the game.

SNB manager Davin Isaacson was pleased with the effort from his shortstop.

“We’ve been fortunate all season to have a great group of boys who know how to play some great defense,” he said. “They’ve been able to limit a lot of teams who (have gotten) a small number of runs like tonight. We had a 12-3 win here.

“Well, we had Andrew Kilpela at shortstop make a great (and) beautiful plays there. Also Kilpela (had) a five RBI night and Chad Isocson had a three RBI night.”

Anders Rautiola came in from second base for the second run scored in the first inning by SNB.

J. Peltier’s Liam Tourtillot answered right back by getting a single and working his way home on a single by Caleb Kentala.

The game did not remain close for long, as Thomas Loukus singled. Adam Mikkola followed with a walk and both later scored on a two-run single by Isaacson. Isaacson then later scored a run of his own, making the game 5-1 in favor of SNB.

Tourtillot struck again in the third when he walked a later scored, but the score was 8-2 at that point in favor of SNB.

“We’ll be playing here again next Saturday,” said coach Isaacson. “I haven’t looked at the schedule yet to see who have, but we’ll encourage the boys to keep focusing on defense and (to) keep the bats going and just keep doing the same job that we’ve been doing.”

Kilpela extended the lead to 11-2 in the top of the fifth as he tripled and later scored on a sacrifice by Chad Isaacson.

Caleb Kentala figured in J. Peltier’s final run of the day when he singled and later scored, but it was too little too late as his teammates could not string the necessary hits together.

“I thought our pitchers pitched very well,” said J. Peltier manager Jesse Kentala. “I thought they threw strikes for the most part, but we didn’t help them out in the field. We didn’t make plays for them.”

Grant Isaacson walked and later scored the final run of the game in the sixth for SNB.

“I just thought we missed a lot of routine kind of baseball plays that we’ve been making lately,” said Kentala. “It just didn’t go our way tonight, (so) we’ve just got to shake it off and come back (on) Saturday.”