The University of Wisconsin Superior kept its playoff hopes alive as the Yellowjackets slugged their way to an Upper Midwest Athletic Conference doubleheader sweep of North Central University with victories of 5-2 in game one and 12-2 in seven innings for the nightcap at Whereatt Field in Superior.

UW-Superior (13-25, 7-7 UMAC) remains in the hunt for the fourth and final bid to next week's Upper Midwest Athletic Conference tournament, currently a game back of Northland College with tomorrow's Yellowjacket doubleheader against the University of Northwestern set to determine the final standings in the league.

Senior Richard Vanden Branden (Neenah, Wis./St. Mary Central H.S.) tossed a complete game, allowing just two earned runs on five hits while striking out nine Rams on the day, as UW-Superior won game one thanks to back-to-back-to-back home runs by senior Chad Patko (Stone Lake, Wis./Hayward H.S.), sophomore Travis Miller (Whittier, Calif./La Serna H.S.), and freshman Cory Albertson (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater H.S.) in the third inning. The Yellowjackets scored their first run on an error by North Central (6-27, 2-14 UMAC). After a double by senior Nik Mattson (Superior, Wis./Superior H.S.) in the fifth, junior Nick McNosky (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle H.S.) singled home the UWS catcher to give them a 5-0 lead.

The Rams scored a pair of runs in the top of the eighth with an RBI single by Robert Donohoe, who later came around to score as the Yellowjackets threw down to second to try and catch Cory Kukkola stealing. Bryce Reige allowed four earned runs on 10 hits, striking out three in 5.0 innings while taking the defeat for North Central.

UW-Superior 12, North Central 2
UW-Superior really revved up its offense in game two, picking up the victory for freshman Austin Miller (Harrison, Ohio/William Henry Harrison H.S.), who scattered three hits, allowing just two uneared runs on the day in 5.0 innings. Patko took over on the mound for the final 2.0 perfect innings, striking out three.

The Yellowjackets had 15 hits off a pair of North Central hurlers including seven that went for extra bases. Miller and Albertson each offered up a second home run on the day in game two, while junior catcher Spencer Lawniczak (Pulaski, Wis./Pulaski H.S.) added another for good measure. Eight different batters knocked in at least one run in the game for UWS.

Miller singled home rookie Brandon Rolf (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater H.S.) in the first inning to give the Yellowjackets an early 1-0 lead after Rolf reached on an error and stole third in the inning. Lawniczak started the second inning with a single as four of the first five batters in the inning had a base hit, with Rolf and sophomore Stephen Albertson (Stillwater, Minn/Stillwater H.S.) each driving in a run. Patko, who was originally sent to first base for a walk on ball three but eventually sent back to the plate to finish out his at-bat, followed that up with two-run triple. He would come home one batter later on a home run by Miller as UW-Superior scored six runs on seven hits in the inning.

Albertson homered in the fourth to add on to the lead, and sophomore Mike Rodriguez (Chicago, Ill./Gordon Tech H.S.) tripled to score a pair of runs later in the inning as UWS scored four runs in the inning. The Yellowjackets gave back a pair of runs thanks to two errors in the top of the fifth, but Lawniczak's home run put them back over the top for an eventual 10-run mercy-rule victory in seven innings.

UP NEXT
UW-Superior will host Northwestern on Sunday afternoon in UMAC play in search of a bid to the conference tournament. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.