SUPERIOR, Wis. – The Yellowjackets have finally played a home game. The last time a Yellowjacket softball team played a game in the 54880 area code was May 7, 2022. For the mathematically challenged, that's a whopping 353 days ago.
 
That streak came to an end Tuesday, as the Yellowjackets made their home debut with a doubleheader against Crown College at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex.
 
It was a tale of two games Tuesday, as the Yellowjackets needed some late offense in the opener and a big inning in the second game to earn a pair of wins. The 'Jackets escaped with a 4-1 win over Polars in the first game, then followed it up with an 11-2 win in the second.
 
With the wins, the Yellowjackets (21-5, 11-1 UMAC) have now won five in a row and 14 of their last 15, while keeping pace with Bethany Lutheran atop of the UMAC standings. The Yellowjackets and Bethany Lutheran still have three meetings in 2023.
 
Game One
Crown pitcher Abbie Carroll was the story of the opening game, limiting the team with the third-highest batting average in NCAA Division III to just eight hits. Carroll's assortment of off-speed pitches kept the Yellowjackets off balance, but in the end they strung enough hits together to get the win.
 
The Polars opened the scoring, taking a 1-0 lead with a two-out single in the top of the third.
 
In the bottom of the fourth the Yellowjackets answered, when Tayler Kraemer (Spring Green, Wis./Wisconsin Heights) scored on a single up the middle by Ellie Macal (Winona, Minn./Cotter) to tie the game, 1-1.
 
The Yellowjackets took the lead in the bottom of the fifth when Norah Schmitz (Waconia, Minn./Waconia) connected and drove a Carroll pitch over the fence in right field to make it 2-1. It was the first home run in Schmitz's college career.

In the bottom of the sixth the Yellowjackets tacked on a pair of insurance runs, and again it was Schmitz doing the damage. With one out and the bases loaded, Schmitz drove a hard single up the middle, bringing home Macal and Camille Wikstrom (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown) to make it a 4-1 game.
 
Crown brought the tying run to the plate in the top of the seventh, but Kraemer dug deep and got a huge strikeout to end the game.
 
Kraemer went the distance, but at times struggled with her control, walking seven to go along with a season-high 11 strikeouts. She improved to 12-4 on the year after allowing one run on six hits.
 
Schmitz had a season-high three hits to pace the Yellowjacket offense.
 
Game Two
The Yellowjackets looked much more comfortable offensively in the second game, making it a runaway early and cruising to the win.
 
In the bottom of the first the Yellowjackets sent 12 hitters to the plate and scored 10 times.
 
Zoe Thomson (Le Sueur, Minn./Le Sueur-Henderson) brought home the first two runs of the game with a bases-loaded double down the line in left. Jenna Hoops (Woodbury, Minn./Visitation School) and Macal followed with run producing hits to make it a 4-0 game.
 
MyKenzie Leccia (Somerset, Wis./Somerset) continued her hot hitting with a two-run single up the middle, and an error on a ball hit by Kraemer resulted in three more runs, giving the Yellowjackets a 9-0 lead. The big inning prompted a pair of pitching changes by Crown, with Carroll coming on to finish the inning, and once again she had the Yellowjackets off balance.
 
The game stayed 10-0 until the Yellowjackets added another run in the bottom of the third when Tiffany Kirk (McHenry, Ill./McHenry East) doubled to left, scoring Leccia.
 
Crown had the makings of a big inning in the top of the fifth, but the Yellowjackets wriggled out of trouble after allowing two runs, to end the game with an 11-2 win.
 
The Yellowjackets had six hits in the game, led by Leccia who had a two-hit game.
 
Emma Pillion (Ottawa, Ill./Ottawa Township) got the start in the circle and went the distance for the Yellowjackets, improving to 5-1 on the year. She allowed two runs on six hits and struck out one.
 
It's a quick turnaround for the Yellowjackets, as they'll travel to St. Paul for a doubleheader with Northwestern Wednesday. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Reynolds Field.