ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The UW-Superior baseball team scored runs in six separate innings and got a complete-game effort from senior right-hander Bryce Flanagan (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd Senior) for a 9-3 victory over second-seeded Crown in the winner's bracket game in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference tournament at Reynolds Field on Friday.
 
With the win, the Yellowjackets (19-19) advance to the championship series Saturday at 1 p.m., needing to win one of a possible two games to claim the title as the No. 4-seed. UWS will face the Polars, who eliminated top-seed Northwestern, 7-1, in Friday's second game.
 
Superior erased an early one-run deficit in the first inning with single runs in the second, third and fourth frames, adding two in the fifth, one in the sixth and three more in the eighth for the victory.
 
Flanagan (3-2) went the distance for his second complete game of the season, scattering six hits and two earned runs with five strikeouts and four walks, throwing 125 pitches.
 
UWS benefitted from Crown's three pitchers -- Tyler Vancise, Liam Jones and Jacob Crowley -- issuing 12 walks and hitting three batters on the day.
 
Superior knotted the game at 1-1 in the top of the second. Christian Garcia (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) roped a leadoff double down the left-field line and moved to third on a Vancise wild pitch. Ryan Castaneda (San Pedro, Calif./Junipero Serra) followed with a bouncer to the right side of the infield, allowing Garcia to scamper home for the tie.
 
The 'Jackets manufactured another run in the third for the lead when Nick Fredrikson (Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village) and Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) drew successive walks from Vancise and moved up on a wild pitch before Payton Steiner's (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) sacrifice fly to center field plated Fredrikson with one out.
 
Fredrikson extended the lead to 3-1 in the fourth with a two-out single to center, scoring Jordan Trimble (Victorville, Calif./Grandview (Colo.)), who doubled to the right-center field gap earlier in the inning.
 
Vancise allowed the first two in the top of the fifth to reach as Steiner walked and Isaac Fugere (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) singled before Jones came on in relief. With runners on first and third, Garcia executed a perfect safety squeeze as Steiner raced home for a 4-1 lead.
 
Jones then hit both Casstaneda and Trimble to load the bases and Jonny Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) worked a walk to make it 5-1. Pinch hitter Noah Paulseth (Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley) earned bases-loaded walk of his own with two out in the sixth to add to the lead.
 
UWS tacked on three more in the eighth for good measure, starting with a solo homer by Fugere to left with one out off of Crowley. Then, with Jonny Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) batting with two gone and the bases loaded, Crowley uncorked a wild pitch, allowing Sam McNosky (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) to score from third. Trimble advanced to third on the play, scoring on a throwing error from the catcher.
 
Fugere's bomb was his team-leading sixth of the season.
 
Tristan Shoemaker got a pair of runs back for the Polars (27-13) in the ninth with an RBI single and error from Trimble in left for the final margin.
 
Vancise (4-3) took the loss, lasting four innings and surrendering four hits, five runs and five walks. Jones recorded four outs, giving up a run on three walks. Crowley allowed three hits, three runs and four walks in the final 3 2/3 innings.
 
Six different players collected Superior's seven hits with Fugere going 2-for-5 with the homer, a walk and a steal.
 
Shoemaker was 2-for-4 to lead the Crown offense.