NORTH MANKATO, Minn. -- The UW-Superior softball team posted come-from-behind victories over Northland and Martin Luther to open the second Upper Midwest Athletic Conference crossover weekend of the season Friday at Caswell Park.
 
The Yellowjackets topped Northland, 4-3, in the first game of the day and Martin Luther, 9-5, after play was suspended through one inning in that contest.
 
With the sweep, UWS (30-8, 17-3 UMAC) reaches 30 wins for the second time in school history. The 2004 squad, the other to win 30-plus games, finished 34-10 as WIAC tournament champion, qualifying for the NCAA tournament. Additionally, head coach Melissa Fracker's 52 wins in her first two seasons as head coach are the most of any Superior softball skipper in their first two years all-time, topping Nancy Crammatte (1987-88), who was 51-22 in her only two at UWS.
 
Sophomore Jessica Jacobson (Sturgeon Bay, Wis./Southern Door) went 3-for-7 with two doubles and six RBIs to spearhead the offense on Friday, while right-handers Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) and Allison Luoma (Iron River, Wis./Northwestern) each fired complete-game wins in the circle.
 
Game 1 -- UW-Superior 4, Northland 3
Jacobson's two-run double with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning broke a scoreless tie in the opener. Zoe Thomson (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) walked to start the inning and Ellie Macal (Winona, Minn./Cotter) laid down a bunt single. A groundout from Bryton Kukowski (Duluth, Minn./Hermantown) moved pinch runner Erika Mattson (Ely, Minn./Ely Memorial) and Macal to second and third, respectively, before Jacobson lined a double to left for the lead.
 
Northland (7-26, 6-13) responded with three runs in the top of the fifth on a wild pitch, error and double to left field, all with two out.
 
UWS knotted the game in the bottom of the sixth when Jacobson lifted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Macal, who began the frame reaching on an error. 
 
Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) retired the LumberJills in order in the top of the seventh with a pair of strikeouts, giving UWS chance win it in the bottom of the frame, and that's what the 'Jackets did.
 
Tiffany Kirk (McHenry, Ill./McHenry East) singled to right with one out and stole second. Following a Macal walk, Kukowski beat out single to third to load the bases. Jacobson then singled to left off of Northland's Sofia Garcia (4-12) for the victory.
 
Jacobson went 2-for-4 knocking in all four UWS runs. Kukowski was the other Yellowjacket with multiple hits, and Kirk, Macal, Norah Schmitz (Waconia, Minn./Waconia) and Lily Hanson (Cloquet, Minn./Esko) had the rest.
 
Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) improved to 16-5 on the year, allowing just two hits and one earned run with five walks. She struck out six. Garcia gave up eight hits, three earned runs and four walks, taking the loss.
 
Game 2 -- UW-Superior 9, Martin Luther 5
Superior used a five-run bottom of the first inning to overcome 3-0 deficit early against Martin Luther. Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) ignited the rally with a leadoff walk before the NCAA Division III leader in stolen bases went to work. She swiped both second and third prior to Tayler Kraemer's (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) walk and steal of second. 
 
Kirk was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and, with one out, MLC's Jessica Horn plunked Macal to force in a run. Horn then hit her third batter of the inning, Kukowski, to make it 4-2, and Jacobson followed with a two-run double to left for the tie.
 
Next up, Schmitz grounded out to shortstop, plating Kukowski for a 5-4 lead.
 
An RBI double from Kukowski in the fifth extended the lead to 6-4, before the 'Jackets added three more in the sixth when Schmitz scored on an error, Kirk had a sac fly and Thomson an RBI single.
 
Martin Luther (10-24, 5-15) scored twice in the top of the seventh for the final margin.
 
Luoma (11-3) surrendered eight hits and five earned runs with two walks and four strikeouts for the win in the circle. Horn (4-11) yielded eight hits and six earned runs in the complete-game loss.
 
Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) and Kukowski had two hits apiece in the second game with the Kraemers and Kirk scoring two runs each. Kaela Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) stretched her nation-leading stolen-base total to 67.
 
Superior closes the regular-season slate with a date with Bethany Lutheran Saturday at 6 p.m., in the Maverick All-Sports Dome at Minnesota State Mankato.