ST. PAUL, Minn. – Junior left-hander Ryan Rodriguez (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) allowed four hits over 8.1 innings and the fifth-seeded UW-Superior baseball team used a three-run seventh inning to get by Crown, 4-1, in the opening game of the UMAC tournament at Reynolds Field Thursday. 
 
Rodriguez was in control most of the day retiring the first 10 batters he faced and carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before the Yellowjackets offense caught up to Crown starter Nick Schroedle (4-5). 
 
Third baseman Nick Shea (Pengilly, Minn./Greenway) deposited the first pitch of the seventh inning over the wall in center field, giving Superior a 1-0 lead, and Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) and Christian Garcia (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) followed with RBI singles to build the lead. Rodriguez lasted into the ninth before Matt Tappe (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony Village) came on to slam the door, working around a one-out triple by Crown's Seth Betts to strike out Kyle Schroedle and induce a Rhys Dewick foul out for his third save.
 
With the win, the Yellowjackets (16-19) advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament to play top-seed and tournament-host Northwestern Friday at 1 p.m. UWS will face either St. Scholastica or Bethany Lutheran at 4 or 7 p.m., in its second game of the day.
 
Rodriguez, who improved to 5-5 on the year yielding one earned run and one walk in 92 pitches, struck out six Storm batters on the day. He got both Betts and Kyle Schroedle, to end the first inning and Dewick in the second. Nick Schroedle stranded Mike Rodriguez (Chicago, Ill./Gordon Tech) and Ryan Castaneda (San Pedro, Calif./Junipero Serra) on third base in the first and fourth innings, respectively, to keep the 'Jackets off the scoreboard early.
 
Rodriguez and Tappe combined to hold the top-four hitters in a dangerous Crown lineup – Mason Brock, Betts, Kyle Schroedle and Dewick – to 2-for-14 with six strikeouts for the game.
 
After Shea's solo blast gave the 'Jackets the lead in the seventh, Sam McNosky (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) singled to left, moving to second on a Josh Hukriede (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) sacrifice bunt. Rhodes then laced another single to left for a 2-0 lead. Later in the inning, after Rhodes moved up on a wild pitch and Brandon Rolf (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) walked, and with Jacob Van Dam on in relief of Nick Schroedle, Garcia ripped a two-out single to right for a 3-0 edge.
 
Dewick finally got the Crown on the board with a solo homer to right-center field with one out in the bottom of the frame, but Rodriguez retired Bailey Sarto and Chad Herrera with a pop up and groundout to limit the damage.
 
UWS put up an insurance run in the eighth off of Eric Newman. Nick Zezulka (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony Village) led off the inning with a single to center. With one out, McNosky reached on an error at second and Hukreide walked to load the bases. Rhodes then worked an eight-pitch at-bat into a second consecutive walk for a 4-1 lead.
 
Superior outhit Crown, 9-4, with all but two position players collecting knocks. Garcia and McNosky led the way with two hits apiece.
 
Schroedle went 6.1 innings, giving up six hits, three runs and a walk. He fanned five.
 
Crown's season ends at 19-22 overall.