The UW-Superior baseball has developed a trend over the first week of games this season. That trend - difficult outings in the first game of doubleheaders. Friday morning the Yellowjackets began their final doubleheader of the spring trip to Arizona, and they had another tough game against a suddenly familiar opponent, before rebounding in the second game to gain a split on the day.

Senior right hander Grant Schneider (Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial H.S.) rebounded from a tough start to open the season with a great performance on the mound in the second game Friday, earning the victory as the Yellowjackets took down Hamline 8-4. Schneider went six innings, allowing four runs (two earned) on five hits. He walked four and struck out nine, including striking out the side after the Yellowjacket offense staked him to an early lead.

Greg Pitts (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel H.S.) got things started with an infield single and Nick McNosky (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle H.S.) walked. Two hitters later Braden Barr singled to bring home Pitts with the game's first run. Later in the inning Stephen Albertson (Stillwater, Minn/Stillwater H.S.) singled in a run and Travis Miller (Whittier, Calif./La Serna H.S.) followed that with the big hit of the inning, a two-run single to right field to put the Yellowjackets in front 4-0.

Hamline broke through in the bottom of the third inning, scoring a pair of runs to cut the Yellowjacket lead in half.

In the top of the fourth the Yellowjackets answered with a pair of runs to reinstate the four-run lead. Spencer Lawniczak (Pulaski, Wis./Pulaski H.S.) led off the inning with a double and Brandon Rolf (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater H.S.) reached on a bunt single, then quickly stole second to give the Yellowjackets two runners in scoring position. Pitts and McNosky followed with back-to-back run-scoring singles and the Yellowjackets were up 6-2.

Hamline scored two more runs, both unearned, in the bottom of the fourth, but once again the Yellowjackets had an answer in the top of the fifth, scoring a pair of runs. With two runners in scoring position Miller singled, scoring Matthew Boyde (Chanhassen, Minn./Minnetonka H.S.) to make it 7-4. Lawniczak then drove in the game's final run with a sacrifice fly.

Brady Stocker (River Falls, Wis./River Falls H.S.) came on in relief of Schneider in the seventh and got into a jam as Hamline loaded the bases with one out. Stocker got a one-out strikeout and followed by a flyout to snuff out the rally. Ryan Rukavina (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld H.S.) pitched the ninth inning to close out the game and give the Yellowajckets the win.

The Yellowjackets had 15 hits in the game, led by Pitts who went 3-for-5. Six Yellowjackets had multiple hits. Miller drove in three runs.

Game 1
Allegheny 13, Wis.-Superior 6

The Yellowjackets took on Allegheny, a team they had seen twice already on the trip, in the first game Friday. And like the other two meetings, the Gators struck early and put this one away long before it was over.

Freshman Elliot Danhoff (Gladstone, Mich./Gladstone H.S.) got the start for the Yellowjackets and the Gators got to him early, scoring five times in the first inning on the way to a 13-6 win.

After falling behind 6-0 the Yellowjackets scored their first run of the game in the top of the fourth when Cory Albertson (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater H.S.) singled home McNosky. Albertson and McNosky combined again in the sixth inning to give the Yellowjackets their second run.

Pitts and Barr each drove in a run in the seventh inning, and the Yellowjackets closed out the scoring in the ninth inning with a pair of unearned coming in when Albertson reached on an error to make the final score 13-6.

Alex Osness (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West H.S.) paced the Yellowjacket offense, going 3-for-4 in the game.

Danhoff pitched five innings, giving up six runs on five hits. Harrison Leet (Palmer, Alaska/Portage H.S.) pitched two innings of relief and Zach Bennett (Corona, Calif./Santiago H.S.) three innings for the Yellowjackets.

Up Next
The Yellowjackets (2-6) will play their final game in Arizona Saturday, March 25, when they take on Gustavus Adolphus College. The first pitch of the game is schedueld for 10:00 a.m. MT.