DULUTH, Minn. – The UW-Superior softball team won three games in a day to claim the fourth conference championship in school history, sweeping Northwestern, 5-2 and 4-0, in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference tournament championship series at Kenwood Field on Saturday.
The fifth-seeded Yellowjackets won their way into the final two games of the tournament after eliminating Bethany Lutheran, 6-4, in nine innings in the completion of the Friday's suspended game and then rode the arm of right-hander
Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) in the circle to the title.
UWS (22-14), which also won titles in the WIAC in 2002 and 2004 and in the UMAC in 2016, earns the league's automatic qualification to the NCAA tournament and will learn its destination when the field is announced Monday at noon.
Kraemer was named the tournament MVP after going 5-1 with a 1.25 ERA in 44.2 innings pitched and five complete games.
Game 1 – UW-Superior 5, Northwestern 2
The Yellowjackets erased an early Northwestern 1-0 edge with three runs in the top of the third.
Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) doubled to left field to start the inning and
Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) followed with a single up the middle to tie the game, 1-1. With one out and
Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) on second,
Tiffany Kirk (McHenry, Ill./McHenry East) singled to center, putting runners on first and third. Kirk stole second and
Bryton Kukowski (Duluth, Minn./Hermantown) grounded to first base, scoring Kraemer for the lead.
Jessica Jacobson (Sturgeon Bay, Wis./Southern Door) followed with a single to left, plating Kirk with two out.
The Eagles cut the deficit in half with the help of leadoff triple to right-center field by Shelby Stoll in the bottom of the fourth. Kayla Hannasch scored Stoll with a one-out grounder to shortstop, but
Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) was able to limit the damage to just one run, fanning Hailey Hansen to end the inning.
UWS tacked on runs in the sixth and seventh for the final margin.
Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) doubled home
Davriana Horvath (Esko, Minn./Esko), who started the sixth with a single up the middle to make it 5-1.
Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) started the seventh with an infield single, moved up with a
Olivia Bancroft-Hart (Cambria, Wis./Cambria-Friesland) sacrifice, scoring on Kirk's single up the middle.
Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) allowed three hits, one walk and one earned run in game one. She was 3-for-4 with two runs scored at the plate while Kraela Kraemer went 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles.
Game 2 – UW-Superior 4, Northwestern 0
Kraemer limited the Eagles to five hits and one walk in the winner-take-all game two victory.
Up, 1-0, UWS put the game away with three runs in the fifth. After
Kaileigh Miller (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) stuck out,
Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) singled to center, advancing to third when Hannasch couldn't come up with the ball cleanly.
Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) followed with a bouncer to third that was fielded but the Eagles botched the ensuing rundown, allowing
Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) score and her sister move to second.
Bancroft-Hart then tripled to right-center field for a 3-0 lead and Kirk followed with an RBI ground out.
The 'Jackets tallied six hits in game two with the Kraemers collecting two apiece.
Northwestern's season ends with a record of 17-23.
