DAVENPORT, Fla. --Â Freshman center fielder
Jordan Trimble (Victorville, Calif./Grandview (Colo.)) shot a one-out base hit back through the middle in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the UW-Superior baseball team to a 4-3 victory in the first game of its doubleheader with Union in the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Saturday.
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The Yellowjackets dropped the second game against the Dutchmen, 6-3, despite another rally in the seventh on a steamy day at Northeast Regional Park.
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UWS (3-9) entered the last of the seventh inning of the opener down, 3-2.
Christian Garcia (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) led off the frame with a single through the right side of the infield before being lifted for pinch runner
Iduan Nater (Arecibo, Puerto Rico/Vocacional Antonio Lucchetti). Bryce Fournier (0-1) uncorked a wild pitch, moving Nater to second and
Bryce Flanagan (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd Senior) singled to right field, pushing Nater to third.
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After a flyout, pinch runner
Max Howell (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) stole second and
Sam McNosky (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) walked to load the bases, setting the stage for Trimble's walk-off hit.
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Left-hander
Ryan Rodriguez (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) (1-1) turned in his third consecutive quality start and first complete game to begin the season. Rodriguez scattered seven hits and one earned run, striking out five without issuing a walk.
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Union (1-1) wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in its first game of the season as the second batter of the day, Kobe Mentzer, belted a solo shot over the fence in left for the early lead.
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Superior plated single runs in the second third innings, respectively, to take a 2-1 lead when
Jonny Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) and Garcia each singled.
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The Dutchmen scored a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fourth with the help of a dropped pop up by
Jonny Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), but Trimble gave UWS its second-consecutive victory in the seventh.
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Garcia was 2-for-3 with an RBI, pacing the 'Jackets' seven-hit attack.
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Three Union pitchers hit UWS hitters a total of six times in the game. UWS walked three times and stole three bases.
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The Dutchmen scored three times in the second inning of the second game on RBI singles from Ryan Cowles and Mentzer before
Isaac Fugere (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) responded in the fifth with a two-run single to left center in the top of the third.Â
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Designated hitter Jack DiNanno ripped a solo homer to left field in the bottom of the third to double the lead to 4-2. The Dutchmen tacked on runs in the fifth and sixth and
Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) pushed a run across in the top of the seventh on a groundball for the final margin.
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Flanagan (0-2) took the loss on the mound, pitching the first five innings and surrendering seven hits, four earned runs and two walks with one strikeout.
Ethan Coady (Toronto, Ontario/Etobicoke School of the Arts) threw the sixth inning.
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Union's Chris Murdock earned the victory with six innings of three-hit baseball. He struck out seven and walked three in 104 pitches. A combination of Alex Erickson and Jason Goldblum threw the seventh inning with Goldblum retiring Garcia and Fugere to pick up the save.
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UWS plays a single, nine-inning game against Knox on Sunday at 9 a.m. CT prior to heading back to Superior.