TUCSON, Ariz. – The UW-Superior baseball team swept a doubleheader from Carleton Friday at Kino Sports Complex, winning game one, 15-4. and coming from behind for a 9-4 victory in game two.
With the wins, the Yellowjackets have an opportunity to close their spring-break trip at .500. UWS (4-5) faces Hamline at 11 a.m., CT Saturday.
UWS pounded out 24 hits and 24 runs against Carleton (0-3), and got solid starting pitching from left-hander
Ryan Rodriguez (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) and righty
Auggie Anderson (Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley), who each earned their first victories of the season on the mound.
Carleton pitching could not get
Cory Albertson (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) out on the day, as he was 8-for-8 with two doubles, two triples, four runs scored and five RBIs. The 'Jackets hit .456 (24-for-68) as a team.
Superior jumped on the Knights' game one starter Owen Riley (0-1) for five runs – all with two outs – in the top of the third inning. Riley struck out the first two he faced in the frame, then surrendered four consecutive hits and six in seven batters. The big blows came from Albertson (two-run triple down the right-field line) and
Bryce Flanagan (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) (two-run single to left).
Leading, 7-0, though five innings, UWS hung another eight on the Knights in the top of the sixth.
Braeden Barr (San Diego, Calif./Grossmount) crushed his second home run of the season – a two-run shot – to left field for a 9-0 lead. With two out,
Alec Rabin (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) singled to center, plating
Matthew Boyde (Chanhassen, Minn./Minnetonka), to knock Riley from the game.
Dan Clipper promptly walked
Mike Rodriguez (Chicago, Ill./Gordon Tech) to load the bases and also issued
Jordan Berrios (Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer) a free pass with the bases loaded, forcing in
Gunner Johnson (Superior, Wis./Superior) for an 11-0 advantage.
Brandon Rolf (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) followed with a bases-clearing triple to right and Albertson closed the scoring in the inning with an RBI double.
Carleton finally got to
Ryan Rodriguez (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) and reliever
Brandon Wing (Superior, Wis./Superior) for two runs each in the sixth and seventh innings for the final margin.
Ryan Rodriguez (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) pitched six innings, scattering three hits without issuing a walk. He struck out nine. Wing recorded the final three outs, allowing four hits and two runs, fanning one.
The 'Jackets scored seven runs in the fifth and sixth innings of game two to complete the sweep. Carleton scored twice in the top of the first off of Anderson, Superior pulled a run back in its half of the inning as Rolf scored on Blake Anderson's (0-1) wild pitch. Rolf drew a one-out walk and moved to third on an Albertson double.
Down, 3-2, in the bottom of the fifth,
Travis Miller (Whittier, Calif./La Serna) hit a two-out, ground-rule double, plating Flanagan and Albertson for a 4-3 lead.
Jake Kissane (Baroda, Mich./Lake Michigan Catholic) extended the lead on an RBI single to center, making it 5-3.
The 'Jackets sent eight men to the plate in the sixth to put the game away with four insurance runs. Albertson hit a two-run double and Miller a two-run single.
Auggie Anderson (Mendota Heights, Minn./Henry Sibley) was one out shy of a complete game. He allowed nine hits, three earned runs and two walks while striking out two. Mikey Piletich got the final out.
