MINNEAPOLIS -- The UW-Superior baseball team dropped a pair of late-night games to Central on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning at U.S. Bank Stadium.
 
The Yellowjackets let a seventh-inning lead slip away in the opener, falling 9-3 as the Dutch scored seven runs to escape with victory. In the nightcap, Central scored runs in each inning except the third and held on for a 5-2 win.
 
In the first game, senior left-hander Ryan Rodriguez (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) settled in nicely after allowing a two-run double in the first frame to pitch six innings. He scattered seven hits, struck out six and did not permit a walk or earned run, throwing 83 pitches.
 
UWS (0-4) tied the game in the fourth inning. Christian Garcia (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) led off with a double just inside the left-field line and moved the third on a Bryce Flanagan (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd Senior) grounder to he right side. Payton Steiner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) then delivered an RBI single up the middle to get Superior on the board. 
 
Following a Ryan Castaneda (San Pedro, Calif./Junipero Serra) single, Isaac Fugere (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) singled to center, scoring Steiner. Pinch runner Isaac Grothe (East Bethel, Minn./St. Francis) was thrown out at third on the play, curbing the threat.
 
Rodriguez threw up a zero in the top of the fifth, getting a fly-ball double play and strikeout, and Superior plated a run in the bottom of the inning with a sacrifice fly from Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) to take a 3-2 lead. 
 
On to close the game in the seventh, Matt Tappe (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony Village) retired Brenden Mudd for the first out, but fell victim to a pair of errors that allowed Central come away with the win.
 
Tappe (0-1) took the loss, surrendering six runs (four earned) in a third of an inning. Jack Rheineck (St. Louis Park, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's School) finished the game, giving up the final run on a pair of walks, a hit and two wild pitches. 
 
Lucas Farren paced the Dutch, going 3-for-4 with a double a two runs scored in game one.
 
Central jumped out to a 4-0 lead through five innings in the second game, before UWS plated a pair of unearned runs in the top of the sixth as a throwing error by Farren at second base allowed both Nick Shea (Pengilly, Minn./Greenway) and Sam McNosky (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) to come home, cutting the deficit in half.
 
Central, though, plated an unearned run of its own in the bottom of the inning.
 
Superior put runners on second and third with two out in the seventh when Mike Rodriguez (Chicago, Ill./Gordon Tech) singled to center and McNosky doubled to right-center field, but Kirby Vowels induced a Gunner Johnson (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) ground ball to end the game. 
 
Vowels saved the contest for Declan O'Hare, who limited the 'Jackets to two hits and a walk, fanning four in the first three innings, being on a pitch count to start the season.
 
Flanagan went three innings, as well, allowing three hits and two earned runs with two walks. Riley Harbaugh (Banks, Ore./Banks) threw the last three frames, yielding five hits and two unearned runs.
 
Garrett Finley was 3-for-3 with an RBI in game two for the Dutch.
 
The Yellowjackets head to Auburndale and Davenport, Fla., next week for eight games in the Russmatt Central Florida Invitational March 14-19. The trip begins with a 1:30 p.m., CT doubleheader with Springfield.