ST. BONAFACIUS, Minn. – Earlier this week, Crown College unveiled a new athletics department logo, and along with it, a new nickname. Gone is the traditional nickname of Storm, and in its place is a new moniker, the Polars.
 
Throughout the 2022 season, Crown's baseball team has been ranked among the top teams in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference. And that didn't change when the nickname did.

Friday afternoon, the Yellowjackets put their seven-game winning streak on the line against the Polars, and although they led for most of the contest, the 'Jackets saw their run come to an end. Crown had a big eighth inning, scoring four times to come from behind and defeat the Yellowjackets 6-3 at Missile Park.
 
Despite seeing their seven-game winning streak come to an end, the Yellowjackets (16-16, 12-5 UMAC) still remain firmly in the hunt for a UMAC tournament slot despite the loss, currently holding down the No. 3 seed behind Northwestern and Crown.
 
Ace lefthander Ryan Rodriguez (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) got the start for the Yellowjackets and was masterful early, striking out the six of the first seven hitters he faced and not allowing a hit until the bottom of the seventh inning. He made an early run stand up as the Yellowjackets moved in front first, opening the scoring in the second when catcher Isaac Fugure put them in front 1-0 with a one-out solo home run. The round-tripper was the second of the season for Fugere.
 
In the seventh Crown broke up the no-hitter with a lead-off single, and would plate a pair of runs on back-to-back singles to take a 2-1 lead.
 
The Yellowjackets quickly regained the lead in the top of the eighth. Sam McNosky (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) and Nick Fredrikson (Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village) started the inning with back-to-back singles. Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) would follow with another base hit, scoring both runners to give the Yellowjackets a 3-2 lead.
 
Crown tied it at 3-3 in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single, then moved in front for good with a run scoring on a passed ball. The Polars put an exclamation point on things with a two-run home run, making the final 6-3.
 
The Yellowjackets finished the game with eight hits, getting two apiece from Rhodes, Fugere and McNosky.
 
It was a hard-luck finish for Rodriguez, who ended up taking the loss after allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits in 7.1 innings. He struck out a career-high 16 hitters while issuing just one walk. For the season, Rodriguez has struck out 83 hitters while walking just eight over 75 innings pitched. Despite the magical performance Friday, his record on the year falls to 5-4.
 
Jack Rheineck (St. Louis Park, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's School) came on in relief and pitched the final two-thirds of an inning.
 
The Yellowjackets and Polars will be back at it Saturday, playing a pair of games that will have a huge impact on the UMAC playoff picture at Missile Park in St. Bonafacius. The opening pitch of the first game is scheduled for noon.