ST. PAUL, Minn. – The fifth-seeded UW-Superior baseball team's season came to end with a pair of losses in the UMAC tournament at Reynolds Field on Friday.
 
The Yellowjackets trailed 9-2 entering the ninth inning against top-seeded Northwestern and nearly came all the way back, scoring six times, to lose, 9-8. UWS then dropped its elimination game, 13-1 in seven innings to Bethany Lutheran.
 
Northwestern 9, UW-Superior 8
Northwestern jumped on Superior starter Elliot Danhoff (Gladstone, Mich./Gladstone) for three runs in the first inning and kept adding on to build a 9-1 edge after six innings. UWS began its comeback with a Brandon Rolf (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) RBI double to left-center field, scoring Sam McNosky (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle), with two out in the seventh, and sent nine men to the plate in the ninth.
 
McNosky led off that frame with a single to center and Isaac Fugere (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) followed with a single through the left side. After a pop up, Isaac Grothe (East Bethel, Minn./St. Francis) singled up the middle to load the bases with one out. Mike Rodriguez (Chicago, Ill./Gordon Tech) was then hit by a pitch from the Eagles' starter Sam Ludzack to cut it to a 9-3 game.
 
Christian Garcia (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) then floated a sacrifice fly to left field scoring Fugere before Ryan Castaneda (San Pedro, Calif./Junipero Serra) ripped a two-run double to right center to make it 9-6. 
 
Nick Fredrikson (Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village) took a 2-1 pitch over the fence in right to pull the 'Jackets within one. The second homer of the year for Fredrikson spelled the end of the day for Ludzack, who was relieved by Aaron Severson. 
 
Nick Shea (Pengilly, Minn./Greenway) worked the count full in an eight-pitch at-bat before Severson struck him out swinging to end the game and earn his fourth save of the season.
 
Ludzack went 8.2 innings, allowing all 14 hits and eight runs. He stuck out five and walked one, improving to 6-1.
 
Superior received multiple-hit efforts from Rolf, Castaneda, McNosky, Fugere and Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior). Rolf led the way with three doubles and two runs driven in while McNosky doubled and scored twice.
 
Danhoff (2-5) hung tough in the final outing of his collegiate career, giving his team innings and a chance to find its offensive rhythm. He last 5.1 frames, surrendering six hits and five earned runs. He struck out seven and walked 10 before giving way to Brenden Kruger (Cottage Grove, Minn./Hastings) and Gunner Johnson (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), who split the final innings. Johnson finished with 1.1 frames of hitless work.
 
Philip Wall and Carlton Lindow each tallied two hits for Northwestern (30-10) and Wyatt Morrell and Lindown drove in two runs each.
 
Bethany Lutheran 13, UW-Superior 1
 
Bethany Lutheran blasted two home runs – a three-run shot in the third inning off the bat of Ross Beumer, and a two-run job from Tommy Gannon in the sixth – in Superior's second elimination game in two days.
 
The Vikings scored in five different innings and outhit UWS 13-6 to advance.
 
Joey Barker (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) got the start on the mound, lasting just 1.2 innings and was followed by Dante Bender (Gurney, Wis./Hurley), David Dibble (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper) and Matt Tappe (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony Village). Barker gave up three earned runs on five walks and two hits to end his freshman season at 0-5.
 
The Yellowjackets' run came in the seventh. Will Bess (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro) singled to left field with one out and scored on Corbin Taylor's (Hurley, Wis./Hurley) double to left center. Rolf, Garcia, Shea and McNosky had the other knocks for UWS, all singles.
 
BLC's Matt Wood (2-2) went the distance in just 90 pitches. He struck out eight with no walks. 
 
Five Vikings drove in at least two runs apiece as they improved to 16-14 on the season.
 
Superior's year ends at 16-21 overall.