SUPERIOR, Wis.: Last week's winter storm forced a number of cancellations, postponements, and changes to the Yellowjacket spring sports schedule. Among those changes was the moving of Saturday's softball doubleheader with Martin Luther. Those games, originally scheduled to be played in New Ulm, Minnesota, were moved to Monday and were played at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex.

In what will go down as one of the shortest road trips in Yellowjacket history, the Yellowjackets were the visiting team on their home turf, but that didn't matter. The Yellowjackets posted big innings of both games Monday, and rolled to a sweep of the Knights and extended their winning streak to eight games.

With the wins, the Yellowjackets improved to 11-15 overall and remained a perfect 8-0 in UMAC play, moving them into a tie for first place in the conference with Bethany Lutheran, who they will play in Mankato, Minnesota a week from Wednesday.

Game 1
The opener was a pitcher's duel early, as Ashley Taipale (Duluth, Minn./Denfield) of the Yellowjackets and Becky Pruss of Martin Luther went scoreless frame for scoreless frame. The Yellowjacket broke the game open in the top of the fourth when back-to-back errors put two runners in scoring position. Amber Yoch's (North Branch, Minn./North Branch Area) squeeze attempt turned into a fielder's choice and brought the game's first run home. She would steal second to put two runners in scoring position and the bases would be cleared when Tiffany Kirk (McHenry, Ill./McHenry East) homered over the fence in left field to help the Yellowjackets open up a 4-0 lead.

In the top of the fifth the Yellowjackets would bat around and put six more runs on the board. Bailey Armstrong (Scandia, Minn/Forest Lake) got the scoring started in the inning with an RBI single, and later in the inning Emily Carpenter (St. Peter, Minn./St. Peter) followed with a two-run double. Kirk would drive home another run with a double to the gap in right center and score on an single by Alayna Tulip (Arcadia, Wis./Arcadia).

The big inning put the Yellowjackets ahead 10-0, and that would be enough. Taipale, who was once again masterful in the circle, put the Knights down in order in the bottom of the fifth to close the game out. Taipale went the distance, allowing just two hits and striking out four to pick up her fifth win of the season, improving her record to 5-6.

Kirk had a big game at the plate, going 4-for-4 and finishing a triple short of the cycle. She scored twice and drove in four. Yoch added a pair of hits, scored twice and drove in two.

Game 2
The Yellowjackets wasted little time getting things going in teh second game, pushing a run across in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly by Carpenter. They would add another run in the top of the third when Gabby Gidley (Superior, Wis./Superior) would crush a one-out triple to right and eventually score on an Armstrong single to make it 2-0.

In the top of the fourth the top of the Yellowjacket order flexed its muscle to break the game open. With Carpenter on Kirk would continue her hot hitting, blasting her second home run of the day to left field to make it 4-0. Two hitters later Taipale would do the same, hitting a long home run over the fence in left center to push the lead to 6-0.

Martin Luther plated a run to break the shutout in the bottom of the fourth, and it would stay a 6-1 game until the seventh, when the Yellowjackets had another big inning at the plate.

Tulip started the big inning with a double to right center and would score on Taipale's double. A Gidley single put runners on the corners and Armstrong would follow with an RBI single. A run scored when Bailey Kinnunen (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) hit into a fielder's choice, and she would score when Yoch doubled down the left field line. Later, with two runners in scoring position, Carpenter hit a double over the center fielder's head to plate two more runs. The Yellowjackets would score six runs in the inning to make the final margin 12-1.

Gidley and Armstrong both went 3-for-4 in the game to pace the Yellowjacket 17-hit attack. Seven different players had multiple hit games for the Yellowjackets.

Amanda Kishish (St. Francis, Minn./St. Francis) got the start and earned the win for the Yellowjackets, improving to 4-3 on the season. She allowed one run on six hits in six innings, striking out three. Damara Theis (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee) came in to finish the game and pitched a scoreless seventh.

The Yellowjackets are back at home Tuesday when they host Northland College.