Marquette shortstop Kelsey Anderson slides home safely during the semifinal game of the Little League Minors softball District 11 tournament against Negaunee at the Houghton High School field. (Daver Karnosky/Daily Mining Gazette)

HOUGHTON — In Minors softball District 11 semifinal action Monday evening, Marquette used a four-run first inning and an even bigger six-run third inning to put enough distance between themselves and Negaunee to earn a 15-4 victory at the Houghton High School field.

With the win, Marquette punched their ticket to the championship series against Portage Lake, starting Tuesday night at 6 p.m. If Marquette wins, they will force a second and deciding game on Wednesday.

Marquette lost on Saturday to Portage Lake, 11-1, but has bounced back with two straight wins, first over Baraga/LOTC on Sunday, and Negaunee.

“I always knew that they were going to bounce back,” said Marquette assistant coach Corey Hanycz. “I’ve been practicing with the majority of these girls since December, and I know what they can do. I know they can hit.”

Hanycz admitted that he feels the team plays better later in the day.

“Usually our early morning games start off slow, but once the girls get going and rolling, they find their rhythm, and they start hitting the ball and scoring runs,” he said. “So, as long as we can avoid the early morning games, we should be fine. We have a talented bunch of young ladies, and I’m proud of them.”

That talent was on display from the top of the first inning. Kelsey Anderson got things started immediately with a lead off walk. She stole second and got to third on a passed ball. Harper DeMay then walked. Another passed ball scored Anderson. DeMay got to third on a passed ball before she scored on another one. Tess Pernsteiner and Ella Dickinson both walked. Pernsteiner scored on a passed ball. Dickinson moved to second on that same passed ball and Ada Mohrman sacrificed to move her to third. Kynlee Hanycz walked and got to second on a passed ball shortly after. Two batters later, Emily Trdan walked to load the bases. Pyper Harris drew a walk, which scored Dickinson and gave Marquette an early 4-0 lead.

That lead was extended in the second inning to 7-0.

Madison Pohlman walked, she got to third on consecutive passed balls and then scored on another one. DeMay was hit by a pitch. She advanced to third on a pair of passed balls. Pernsteiner walked. Dickinson then launched a ball to deep center field, bringing both Pohlman and DeMay home.

Negaunee desperately needed something to go their way, and they made their own break in the bottom half of the inning.

Maddie Roberts drew a walk. Elliana Fredrick was hit by a pitch. A passed ball moved both runners into scoring position. Makayla Munson walked to load the bases, but during the play, a defensive error allowed Roberts to score from third, and just like that, it was 7-1 in favor of Marquette. Two straight strikeouts ended the threat.

Negaunee manager Matt Perry was proud of his team for not giving up or giving in when things got tough.

“They have some tenacity, and I’m super proud of those girls,” he said. “They fought back, never got down on themselves, and proved that they could do it themselves. I think they got down on themselves a little bit in the beginning when they got behind again, but (we) switched pitchers, got back into a groove again, started throwing strikes, and got back into it for a little bit.

“So, I’m super proud of them. They fought back strong, hard. They never got a bad attitude, and never, never let down. So, I’m proud of them.”

In the top of third, Marquette tried to put the game away.

Trdan led off with a single to left field. Pyper Harris then singled to short, putting runners on the corners. Everly Ventimeglia singled to left field, bringing Trdan home. Pohlman singled to center field to bring Harris home. Eleanor Gustafson walked. Anderson singled to center field bringing home Ventimeglia and Pohlman.

Pernsteiner reached on a fielder’s choice where Gustafson was tagged at third. A double steal moved Anderson and Pernsteiner into scoring position. Dickinson then brought them both home with a single to left field and Marquette led at that point, 13-1.

Negaunee needed a rally, and they got it in the bottom half of the inning.

Marquette turned to Mohrman in the pitcher’s circle to start the inning, and two batters in, Kenley Thompson drew a walk. A defensive error on the play allowed her to get third. A passed ball allowed her to score. Kenley Laitala, who had replaced Fredrick in the circle for Negaunee in the second inning, drew a walk of her own. She stole second and got third on a passed ball. Ayla Swanson then walked, and Laitala scored on a passed ball. Swanson made her way to third and scored on a passed ball, cutting the lead down to nine, 13-4.

The inning continued with Negaunee threatening again with runners on the corners before Marquette turned back to Dickinson in the circle. She induced a strikeout to end the inning.

That was as close as Negaunee got, however, as Marquette found two more runs in the fourth to put the game out of reach.

Kynlee Hanycz led off with a walk. Penelope Harris sacrificed to move her into scoring position. Hanycz moved to third before the play came to an end. Trdan singled to second, scoring Hanycz. Trdan got to second on a defensive error. A passed ball moved her to third, and another one allowed her to score. Two ground outs over the next three hitters ended the inning.