MANKATO, Minn. – It took a month, but the Yellowjacket baseball team has clawed its way back above the .500 mark.
 
At the conclusion of the first game of a doubleheader against SUNY Cobleskill, the Yellowjackets moved to 4-1 with an 8-6 win over the Fighting Tigers. Cobleskill took the second game of the doubleheader, the first in what would be seven straight early season losses for the Yellowjackets.
 
When the schedule moved into Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play, the Yellowjackets won four straight, evening their record at 8-8 before falling Friday in the first game of their series with Bethany Lutheran.
 
Saturday, the Yellowjackets rode the arms of their aces, and good Yellowjacket pitching took down the hitting of the Vikings, as the Yellowjackets swept the doubleheader, winning the opening game 5-1 and the nightcap 7-3.
 
With the win, the Yellowjackets (10-9, 6-1 UMAC) take the season series from the Vikings, 2-1, and now have a two-game lead atop the conference standings after winning six of their last seven contests.
 
Game One
Yellowjacket head coach TJ Oakes handed the ball to his ace, Ryan Rodriguez (Chaska, Minn./Chaska), in the opening game Saturday, and the senior lefthander did what he has done for most of the last two seasons – shut down the opposition.
 
Rodriguez dominated Bethany Lutheran hitters, scattering three hits over seven innings while walking two and striking out five. He improves his mark to 4-1 on the year.
 
The Yellowjackets got all the offense they would need in the bottom of the second inning. With two outs and Isaac Fugere (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) on second, Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) clobbered his first home run of the year over the fence in left field, putting the Yellowjackets in front.
 
They added to the lead in the top of the third when Payton Steiner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) singled home Sam McNosky (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) to make it 3-0. In the top of the fifth inning the Yellowjackets tacked on two more runs, courtesy of Viking errors. Steiner drove home Noah Dagostino (Andover, Minn./Andover) with a double down the left field line to stretch the lead to four. Later, Fugere reached on an error and Steiner came across with the fifth run of the game for the Yellowjackets.
 
It stayed that way until the bottom of the eighth when Bethany Lutheran scored their lone run against Yellowjacket reliever Aiden Pfeifer (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) to make the final score 5-1.
 
The Yellowjackets outhit the Vikings 9-7 in the game. Leading the way were Steiner and Rhodes, who had two hits each.
 
Game Two
Rodriguez was impressive on the mound in the opener, and Matt Tappe (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony Village) was equally as impressive in the second game for the Yellowjackets. The righty with the sidewinder delivery held the Vikings without a hit into the fourth inning, allowing the offense to build an early lead.
 
Christian Garcia (Blue Springs, Mo./Blue Springs) got things started for the Yellowjackets, singling home Dagostino who had doubled with one out to make it 1-0 Yellowjackets.
 
In the top of the third the Yellowjackets sent nine men to the plate, and in the process extended their lead. Dagostino picked up his second double of the game, shooting the gap in left center to score Nick Fredrikson (Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village). Garcia followed with an RBI double, and the Yellowjacket lead was three. Steiner came up next and singled through the right side, scoring Garcia, and he would later score on a sacrifice fly. When the inning was finally ended, the Yellowjackets led 5-0.
 
The Vikings cut into the Yellowjacket lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, then made it 5-3 with a run in the fifth. The Yellowjackets picked up their final two runs of the game in the top of the sixth when Max Howell (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) and Jordan Trimble (Victorville, Calif./Grandview (Colo.)) scored on an error, making it 7-3.

The pitching and defense took over from there, and the Yellowjackets closed out the doubleheader sweep.
 
Rhodes had a big game at the plate for the Yellowjackets, going 4-for-4. Dagostino and Garcia also had two hits. The Yellowjackets outhit the Vikings 12-5 in the game.
 
Tappe picked up the win on the hill, moving to 3-2 on the year. He allowed three runs on four hits over five innings. He walked five and struck out four. Ethan Coady (Toronto, Ontario/Etobicoke School of the Arts) came on in relief to pitch three scoreless innings, allowing one hit. Max Howell (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) finished the game for the Yellowjackets, pitching a hitless, scoreless ninth inning.
 
Next up for the Yellowjackets is the third game of their season series against Northwestern. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Reynolds Field in St. Paul.