NEGAUNEE – It didn’t take the North Central Upper Peninsula girls softball team long to strike first in the best-of-3 District 10- and 11-year-old district tournament.

The local club made up of players from the Negaunee and Ishpeming LL associations scored five runs in the first two innings, then rode pitcher Josie Thomson’s two-hitter to a 15-1 four-inning triumph over Baraga at Negaunee’s LaCombe Field on Monday evening.

The two reams will meet again at 6 tonight back at LaCombe.

“Not a bad start,” North Central manager Patrick Thomson said. “Our girls played very well tonight. They’ve been focused in practice and came out with the intensity they’ve shown in practice.”

NC rapped out 12 hits, led by Katelyn Lammi, Larissa Anderson and Jillian Koski with three hits apiece. Lammi had a triple and Anderson a double among their hits.

“We hit the ball well,” Thomson said, “and our defense was running on all cylinders. I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

His daughter, Josie, walked just three while striking out 10. Baraga’s lone run came in the second inning when Erin Younggren hit a double, went to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch.

“Josie pitched really well, but she works at it,” the elder Thomson said of the southpaw hurler. “She has been working on throwing a screwball.

“With her natural (pitching) motion, she seems to get a lot of movement on the ball.”

Josie Thomson struck out five batters in the first two innings.

“She threw well – a lot of strikes,” Baraga manager Don Michaelson said. “They have a solid team.

“Our girls were a little nervous early, this being their first (tournament) game. We’re a better team than we showed.”

A long RBI triple to left-center by Lammi and a run-scoring double by Ellie Miller highlighted NC’s three-run first inning.

Leading 5-1 after two, North Central broke it open with a five-run third. Thomson hit an RBI single, but the rest of the NC runs came on aggressive base running and Baraga errors and wild pitches.

“We try to coach the girls to be aggressive on their base running,” Patrick Thomson said.

The home team added five runs in the fourth, with Natalie Prophet recording an RBI single to highlight the surge.

“We’re focused on the state tournament (scheduled for July 24-26 in Negaunee),” manager Thomson said. “We think we have a legitimate shot (at a state title).”

Taylor Sanregret posted Baraga’s other hit, while Summer Dudo took the mound loss. She went three innings.

Craig Remsburg can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 251. His email address is cremsburg@miningjournal.net.