SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Saturday marked the second day of the first Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Crossover of the 2023 UMAC softball season. In the first game of the day, the Yellowjackets were presented a bit of an oddity. It wasn't odd that they were the home team, but that they were the home team at the University of Northwestern's Reynolds Field, and their opponent was the Eagles.

It looked like the Yellowjackets had things well in hand and were poised to stretch their winning streak to double digits, but Northwestern posted a furious rally, scoring six runs in the sixth inning and three more in the seventh, coming from behind to defeat the Yellowjackets 12-8.
 
In the second game of the day, the Yellowjackets wasted no time getting back on the winning track, scoring early and often to defeat North Central, 19-1.

It was the third win of the week for the Yellowjackets over North Central, and in the process, they improved to 17-5 overall and 7-1 in the UMAC.
 
Game One
Northwestern opened the scoring with a single run in the top of the first, but the Yellowjackets answered in the bottom of the inning when Zoe Thomson (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) singled, scoring leadoff hitter Larissa Snyder (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park), tying the game.
 
The Eagles scored a single run in the top of the third inning, but again the Yellowjackets had an answer. This time Thomson scored the run, coming in on an Ellie Macal (Winona, Minn./Cotter) sacrifice fly, making it 2-2. Bryton Kukowski (Duluth, Minn./Hermantown) followed with an RBI single, putting the Yellowjackets in front.
 
Northwestern tied the game in the top of the fourth, but in the bottom of the inning the Yellowjackets took the lead once again. For the second time in the game, Macal drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, scoring Tiffany Kirk (McHenry, Ill./McHenry East), and it was 4-3 Yellowjackets.
 
The Yellowjackets exploded in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring four times to seemingly take control of the game.

With two outs, and the top of the order coming up, Snyder walked and went to third on a Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) single. With runners on the corners, the Yellowjackets executed a perfect double steal, scoring Snyder to make it 5-3. Two hitters later, Thomson singled, scoring Kraemer to give the Yellowjackets a three-run lead. Jenna Hoops (Woodbury, Minn./Visitation School) followed with a two-run single, stretching the Yellwjacket lead to 8-3.
 
But in the sixth inning the Eagles' bats came to life, getting to the Yellowjackets and Kraemer to the tune of six runs, taking the lead at 9-8. They added three big insurance runs in the seventh, courtesy of a bases-clearing double by Grace Bentley to make it a 12-8 score.
 
In the bottom of the sixth the Yellowjackets put a two-out threat together, loading the bases, but Northwestern worked out of the jam to hold on for the win.
 
Kraemer made the start in the circle for the Yellowjackets and went the distance, giving up 12 runs (10 earned) on nine hits. Control was an issue in this one, as she walked 14 to go with four strikeouts.
 
The Yellowjackets outhit Northwestern 11-9 in the game, and they were led by Thomson who went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in. Kraemer, Hoops and MyKenzie Leccia (Somerset, Wis./Somerset) all had two hits each.
 
Game Two
The Yellowjackets made the second game a no-doubter, scoring 13 times on the way to a 19-1 win in five innings over North Central.
 
In the first, the Yellowjackets sent 13 hitters to the plate before an out was recorded. The first time through the order, Thomson blasted a three-run home run, her second of the year, making it 4-0. Three hitters later, Izzy Lingle (Enumclaw, Wash./Enumclaw) hit her first collegiate home run, also a three-run shot, increasing the Yellowjacket lead to 7-0.
 
Following one trip through the order, Yellowjacket head coach Melissa Fracker began making substitutions, but the subs just kept on hitting. RBI singles from Camille Wikstrom (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown) and Maddelyn Swanson (Solon Springs, Wis./Solon Springs) made it 9-0, and also loaded the bases. Mackenzie Bird (Menomonie, Wis./Menomonie Senior) came to the plate, and cleared them, knocking her first collegiate home run over the fence, making it a 13-0 game.
 
In the second, the Yellowjackets went back to work, and again Bird did some serious damage. Following an RBI single by Kendallyn kalenberg, Bird again came up with the bases loaded and cleared them, hitting her second grand slam in as many innings to make it 18-0.
 
North Central scored a single run in the bottom of the second, and it stayed 18-1 until the fifth, when the Yellowjackets tacked on another run to close out the scoring.
 
The Yellowjackets pounded out 22 hits, getting three from Erika Mattson (Ely, Minn./Ely Memorial), Lily Hanson (Cloquet, Minn./Esko) and Lingle. But the day belonged to Bird, who went 2-for-3 with eight runs batted in.

Georgia Youngblood (Ray, Mich./Lutheran North) went the distance in the circle, allowing one unearned run on five hits. She walked two and struck out six to pick up her second win of the season.
 
The Yellowjackets will have a chance to get some revenge on Northwestern, as they head back to St. Paul to take on the Eagles Wednesday, April 19. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Reynolds Field.