SUPERIOR, Wis.: Thursday afternoon the Yellowjacket baseball team made its home debut. Sort of. For the first time this season, the Yellowjackets were able to play a home game at Ted Whereatt Field, as they hosted Bethel University for a pair of non-conference seven-inning contests.

And the visitors were anything but gracious guests on this day, as the Royals picked up a pair of wins over the Yellowjackets (11-17, 5-7 UMAC), taking the first game of the twin bill 9-7 before routing the home team in the second, 19-1.

Game 1
The Yellowjackets jumped out to an early lead in the first game, plating three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Jordan Berrios (Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer) started the game with a single, and two hitters later Cory Albertson (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area), who earlier in the day was named to the UMAC All-Decade Team, singled through the left side to put runners on the corners with one out. Berrios scored on a sacrifice fly and Matt Boyde followed with a two-run homer to right field, his team-leading sixth of the year to make it 3-0 'Jackets after one inning.

It didn't stay that way long, however. In the top of the second Yellowjacket starter Drake Gran (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) battled control issues and the Royals made him pay, scoring four times to pull ahead 4-3. They would add another run in the top of the third to gain a two-run lead, but the Yellowjackets would answer in the bottom of the inning. Travis Miller (Whittier, Calif./La Serna) singled home Alec Rabin (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) to pull the Yellowjackets to within a run, and then Albertson tied it when he scored on a wild pitch.

Back-to-back hits in the top of the fifth again gave Bethel a two-run lead, 7-5. They would add two more in the top of the seventh to move ahead by four.

In the bottom of the final inning the  Yellowjackets got things cooking on offense and made things interesting. With two runners on and one out, Boyde drove in his third run of the game with a base hit to make it 9-6. Miller followed with another single of his own, driving in another run to pull the Yellowjackets to within 9-7. Bethel snuffed out the Yellowjacket rally with a double play, and in the process picked up the win in the first game.

Boyde had a big game at the plate, going 3-for-3 and driving in three. Miller, Berrios, and Albertson also had mult-hit games.

In a game that was pitcher-by-committee for the Yellowjackets, Gran got the start and lasted two innings. He was followed by Drew Gran (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View), Boone Elkins (Riverside, Calif./Arlington), Zach Bennett (Corona, Calif./Santiago), Gunner Johnson (Superior, Wis./Superior), and Elliot Danhoff (Gladstone, Mich./Gladstone) who all pitched one inning. Bennett absorbed the loss after allowing two runs on two hits in the fifth. He's now 1-1 on the year.

Game 2
The opener was a tight game, but the rematch was anything but that. Bethel went down in order in the first, then scored single runs in the second and third innings to move ahead. In the fourth the Royals got to Yellowjacket starter Tommy Lentz (Andover, Minn./Andover), scoring three times to go up 5-0. They blew the game open with back-to-back big innings in the fifth and sixth.

The Yellowjackets scored their lone run of the second game in the bottom of the sixth when Bryce Flanagan (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) singled through the left side to score Alex Osness (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West).

Flanagan went 2-for-2 in the game, coming off the bench to replace Alec Rabin (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) early. He had three hits in the doubleheader. Osness and Berrios also had two hits for the Yellowjackets, who had nine in the game.

Lentz went 3.2 innings in the game and took the loss to fall to 0-1 on the year. He allowed five runs (four earned) on three hits, but walked seven. He struck out two.

The Yellowjackets will play their final home games of the season Saturday when they host North Central at Ted Whereatt Field.