ST. BONAFACIUS, Minn. – For the Yellowjacket baseball team, the three-game series at Crown College this weekend offered an opportunity to not only cement a spot in the upcoming UMAC tournament, but also keep them in the hunt for a conference title.
 
Riding a seven-game win streak into the weekend, the Yellowjackets were feeling good and playing their best baseball of the season as they made the trip to St. Bonifacius. Coming out, however, it is a totally different story.
 
After losing the series opener Friday despite a masterful performance on the mound by Ryan Rodriguez (Chaska, Minn./Chaska), the Yellowjackets were looking to get back to their winning ways in Saturday's doubleheader. Unfortunately, Crown had other ideas.

The Polars struck early and often in the opener, downing the Yellowjackets 10-6 before finishing off the series sweep with a dramatic, come-from-behind 10-9 walk-off win in the second game at Missile Park Saturday.
 
With the losses, the Yellowjackets (16-18, 12-8 UMAC) now find themselves sitting in the fourth and final playoff spot (as of press time) with a pair of huge games coming up Sunday against a red-hot Minnesota Morris team to close the regular season.

Game One
After a scoreless first, Crown scored four times in the bottom of the second to move in front quickly. The Yellowjackets got one run back in the top of the third when Sam McNosky (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) scored on an error, but Crown answered in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice to take a 6-1 lead. The Polars added three more runs in the fourth to blow the game wide open.
 
In the top of the sixth the Yellowjackets began to claw their way back into the game. With runners on first and second Jordan Trimble (Victorville, Calif./Grandview (Colo.)) doubled and McNosky followed with a two-run single to make it a 9-4 score.
 
Trimble and McNosky led off the eighth with back-to-back walks, and both would come around to score. Trimble came home on a double by Nick Fredrikson (Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village) and McNosky on a groundout to pull the Yellowjackets to within three, 9-6.

Crown plated the game's final run in the bottom of the eighth and then closed out the Yellowjackets in the ninth for the 10-6 win.
 
The Yellowjackets had eight hits in the game, led by Fredrikson who went 2-for-5 from the leadoff spot.
 
Matt Tappe (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony Village) got the start for the Yellowjackets and took the loss, falling to 5-4 on the year. He went the distance in this one, allowing 10 runs on 13 hits. He walked one and struck out six.
 
Game Two
It was a different story in the second game, as the Yellowjackets were the team to open up the scoring early.
 
In the top of the second inning Isaac Fugere (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) hit a long home run to left field. The solo shot made it 1-0 Yellowjackets. The Yellowjackets extended the lead in the third with a two-out rally. Payton Steiner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) started it with a single and stole second before advancing to third on a passed ball. He would score the second run for the 'Jackets on a Trimble single.
 
The lead grew in the fifth as the Yellowjackets put three more runs on the board. Jonny Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) and Fredrikson started the inning with back-to-back singles. With runners on the corners, Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) singled to bring home a run, and Trimble followed with another single to make it 4-0. Another run scored on a groundout by Noah Paulseth (Apple Valley, Minn./Apple Valley), and the Yellowjackets were in front 5-0 halfway through the game.
 
Crown would score a single run in the fifth before exploding for seven runs in the sixth to pull in front 8-5. The big hit was a long home run to left by Kyle Schroedle, his third long ball of the day.
 
Down three heading into the seventh, the Yellowjackets came back and again gained the lead. Christian Garcia (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) singled home a run and Fugere followed with his second home run of the day, a two-run shot to left, and just like that the Yellowjackets were back on top, leading 9-8.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, Crown's leadoff man reached on an error and was sacrificed to second. A hit batsman put the winning run on base, and after a pitching change Crown got the hit they needed, a single to the gap scoring both runs to give them a 10-9 win.
 
Steiner and Fugere each had three hits for the Yellowjackets, who pounded 14 as a team. All but one starter had at least one hit in the game.
 
Ethan Coady (Toronto, Ontario/Etobicoke School of the Arts) got the start on the mound for the Yellowjackets and went 8.1 innings, allowing 10 runs on 13 hits. He walked five and struck out nine. Jack Rheineck (St. Louis Park, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret's School) came on in relief and allowed the game's final hit.
 
The Yellowjackets will close out a doubleheader Sunday against Minnesota Morris, with the games likely to decide which team will be the fourth and final team to play in the 2022 UMAC Tournament. The opening pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex.