Lucky 13

Britnee Blake scored the only run of the second game on Saturday, helping the Yellowjackets sweep a doubleheader against Knox College.

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

What a week for the Yellowjacket softball team! When people look back at the spring trip to Florida for 2014, they are going to see "W's." A lot of them - 13 to be exact. After a sweep of Knox College in a pair of low-scoring games on Saturday, the Yellowjackets come home from Florida without having suffered a loss and riding a 13-game winning streak.

Yellowjackets 3, Knox 2

After setting the Yellowjackets down in the first inning, the Prairie Fire jumped in front, scoring a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning to take the early lead.

The Yellowjackets were able to get a run back in the top of the third inning. With one out, Britnee Blake (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) singled, stole second and went to third on a passed ball. Two batters later, Elle Niemela (Cokato, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) sent her plate-ward with an RBI single to cut the deficit in half.

Things stayed that way until the top of the sixth when the Yellowjackets pulled in front.

With one out Katie Wilke (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) doubled and moved to third on a passed ball. Pinch hitter Melissa Clark (Carlton, Minn./Carlton) made the Prairie Fire pay, singling Wilke home to tie the game. Two hitters later, pinch hitter Alison Wainionpaa (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) singled home Clark and it was 3-2. There was potential for a big inning, as the Yellowjackets had two runs in and two runners on with just one out, but Knox pitcher Karli Shields worked out of the jam and kept it a one-run game.

Starter Nicolle Gross (Coleraine, Minn./Greenway) took it from there, setting the Prairie Fire down in order in the sixth. In the seventh, Gross allowed a hit, but closed out the contest, earning her 10th win of the season. Gross gave up just one earned run on seven hits with a walk and a strikeout in the complete game win.

The Yellowjackets had nine hits in the game, led by Blake and Wilke who had two apiece.

Yellowjackets 1, Knox 0 (8 innings)

Game two of the doubleheader was an offensive struggle, as the teams combined for just one run. There were plenty of hits between the two teams - 18 combined, but the respective offenses couldn't turn the hits into runs, as pitchers Sarah Hendrickson (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld) of the Yellowjackets and Amber Eisha of Knox snuffed out the threats.

Each team had a mild threat in their half of the fifth inning, but both were forced to head back to the dugout with a pair of runners stranded on base.

Nothing was decided through the regulation seven innings. In the top of the eighth Knox was set down in order by Hendrickson, and the Yellowjackets came to the plate and used speed to manufacture the game's only run.

Blake led off the inning with a single and promptly stole second, her eighth stolen base of the season in as many attempts. With the winning run in scoring position, Kristen Haider (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato) ripped a single to the outfield, scoring Blake to give the Yellowjackets the 1-0 win and the sweep.

It was the sixth win of the season for Hendrickson to go against just two losses. The freshman scattered ten hits over eight innings and struck out three.

Haider and Sally Linzmeier (Valders, Wis./Valders) each had two hits to lead the Yellowjackets, who had eight hits in the game.

The Yellowjackets (17-4) are now off until they enter WIAC play. Next they will take on UW-Platteville in a doubleheader on Saturday, April 5. Game time from Platteville is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.

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