The University of Wisconsin Superior left too many runners on the bases in its Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Tournament opener on Saturday as Bethany Lutheran College rallied in the late innings to knock off the Yellowjackets 5-4 on Thursday morning in Duluth, Minnesota. UW-Superior (16-16) will now face an elimination game at 4 p.m. Thursday against the University of Northwestern at Kenwood Field.
The Yellowjackets left 11 runners on base against Bethany Lutheran (15-22), scraping a single run across in the third, fourth, sixth, and seventh inning while the Vikings did the majority of their damage in a four-run sixth. After a lead-off triple in the first, rookie right-hander
Megan Pehrson (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids H.S.) struck out a pair to escape the inning without further damage. UWS left five runners on in the first two innings before sophomore catcher
Gabby Gidley (Superior, Wis./Superior H.S.) doubled home senior pinch-runner
Traci Popple (Jim Falls, Wis./Cornell H.S.) to put them on the board finally in the bottom of the third.
Pehrson struck out nine in 5.1 innings of work, allowing just two earned runs on seven hits but suffering the defeat on the mound. The Yellowjackets loaded the bases in the fourth against Bethany starter Anna Pipenhagen, but she wriggled out of a jam once again allowing just a run on a sacrifice fly by sophomore outfielder
Saige Patrick (Steinbach, Man./St. Mary's Academy). The Vikings chased Pehrson in the sixth with a two-run double by Katelyn Karels, and an error on the UW-Superior infield helped them score two more in the inning. Bethany added yet another unearned run in the top of the seventh after the Yellowjackets scraped within one in the sixth as junior infielder
Katie White (Pequot Lakes, Minn./Pequot Lakes H.S.) singled home junior outfielder
Ciarra Taipale (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld H.S.). First-year infielder
Bailey Kinnunen (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids H.S.) scored on a two-out double by sophomore
Kayla Hartl (Medford, Wis./Medford Area H.S.) in the seventh, but Pipenhagen finished the complete game effort allowing just four earned on 12 hits and four UWS walks while striking out two.
UP NEXT
The Yellowjackets will be back in action at 4 p.m. taking on Northwestern.