SAINT PAUL, Minn. – In a rare occurrence, the Yellowjacket baseball team had a week off between the games of their series with the University of Northwestern. The Yellowjackets, who swept the first two games of the 2023 season series last Sunday in Mauston, Wis., traveled Monday to the Twin Cities to complete the series, a series where they were the home team, on Northwestern's home turf.
 
Monday was a game of streaks – the Yellowjackets scored a lot, then gave up a lot, then scored a lot again, before closing things out to pick up a 12-9 win over the Eagles at Reynolds Field.
 
The win gives the Yellowjackets (11-9, 7-1 UMAC) a sweep of the season series against Northwestern for just the second time in school history (2017 was the other), and gives them seven wins in their last eight outings.
 
Northwestern put a couple runners on in the top of the first but Yellowjacket starter Payton Steiner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) worked out of the one-out jam. The Yellowjackets gave him a lead to work with in the bottom of the inning, plating four runs, but it could have been a whole lot worse than it was.

The Yellowjackets loaded the bases with nobody out, and made it 1-0 on a sacrifice fly by Isaac Fugere (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East). Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), who has been swinging a hot bat of late, doubled to right center, scoring two more. Trey Sybrant (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville Senior) brought home the final run of the inning with a single to right.

In the bottom of the second it was more of the same, as the Yellowjackets continued scoring.
 
The first two hitters walked, and Jonny Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) scored on an error to make it 5-0. The lead reached a half-dozen runs when Steiner singled up the middle, scoring Christian Garcia (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs).
 
But, as quickly as the Yellowjackets built the lead, Northwestern tore it down. In the top of the third the Eagles scored six times, with the big blow being a two-run double by Grady Karges.
 
Tied 6-6, the Yellowjackets went back to work at the plate and regained the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Noah Dagostino (Andover, Minn./Andover) reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Johnny Rhodes to put the Yellowjackets back in front. Dagostino would come across on an infield single by Garcia, making it 8-6.
 
Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) led off the fifth with a single and stole second to move into scoring position. Two hitters later Jordan Trimble (Victorville, Calif./Grandview (Colo.)) doubled to right, bringing in the ninth run of the afternoon for the Yellowjackets. In the bottom of the sixth the Yellowjackets tacked on two more when Steiner and Garcia scored on a Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) single up the middle, making it 11-6.
 
Northwestern wasn't going to go away quietly, however, and they closed the gap in the seventh, scoring three times to make it an 11-9 game.

The Yellowjackets got the game's final run in bottom of the eighth when Steiner hit a long home run over the center field fence, his first of the season, giving the Yellowjackets some insurance and a 12-9 lead.
 
Riley Harbaugh (Banks, Ore./Banks) pitched a perfect ninth inning, closing out the game and in the process earning his first save of the season.
 
Northwestern outhit the Yellowjackets 13-12 in the game. The 'Jackets were led by Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), who went 3-for-4, scored twice and drove in four. Garcia, Steiner and Sybrant also had two hits each. Garcia also scored three times, and Steiner drove in two, giving him a team-leading 16 RBI.

Steiner got the start on the mound and went 2.1 innings, giving up five runs on six hits. Max Howell (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) came on in the third and pitched an inning, giving up a run on one hit. Declan Higgins (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) took the ball in the fourth inning and went 3.2 innings, giving up three runs on six hits while walking four, but he earned the victory, improving to 2-0 on the year.
 
The Yellowjackets continue conference play on the road with a series this weekend against Minnesota Morris. The current schedule has the Yellowjackets and the Cougars playing a single game Friday at 3 p.m. in Morris, followed by a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday. Stay tuned to uwsyellowjackets.com for schedule changes regarding this series and all Yellowjacket spring sports.