MANKATO, Minn. – The 2023 season has been a magical run for the Yellowjacket baseball team.
 
Entering the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) tournament Thursday, the Yellowjackets had already locked in the first winning season since 1975, as well as the program's first-ever 20-win season.
 
If the magical run is to continue, however, the Yellowjackets are going to have to overcome the adversity that comes with playing elimination games the rest of the way.
 
It was an uncharacteristic performance on many fronts for the Yellowjackets Thursday, as they dropped the tournament opener, 15-3 to Crown.
 
The Yellowjackets allowed a season-high 15 runs on a season-high 18 hits. In the field they committed three errors. And starter Ryan Rodriguez (Chaska, Minn./Chaska), a frontrunner for UMAC Pitcher of the Year honors, had his toughest outing of the season.
 
Crown scored a single run in the top of the first inning, and then blew the game open in the top of the third, using three hits and a pair of Yellowjacket errors to score four times.
 
The Yellowjackets finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth inning. Nick Fredrikson (Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village) got things started with a leadoff bunt single. Jonny Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) advanced him with a single to left. A passed ball put both runners in scoring position and Fredrikson scored on a Payton Steiner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) groundout to make it 5-1.
 
Crown got that run back, and then some, in the top of the sixth, scoring three times to make it 8-1. They extended the lead further with four more runs in the eighth.
 
In the bottom of the eighth the Yellowjackets put two more on the board. Trey Sybrant (St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville Senior) singled with one out and Tanner Voight (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) followed with his first collegiate home run to make it 12-3.
 
Crown would close out the scoring with three more runs in the top of the ninth.
 
The Yellowjackets had 10 hits in the game. Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) and Isaac Fugere (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) led the way with two hits apiece.
 
Rodriguez pitched six innings and allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits. He walked one and struck out eight. Riley Harbaugh (Banks, Ore./Banks) allowed four runs on seven hits in two innings. Max Howell (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) allowed three runs on one hit in the ninth before Jack Barnett (Montgomery, Minn./Jordan) recorded the final three outs.
 
With the loss, the Yellowjackets now have to keep winning to keep their season alive. Next up is a meeting with Minnesota Morris Friday in the first elimination game of the 2023 UMAC tournament. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Franklin Rogers Park in Mankato. If the Yellowjackets win, they will play again Friday, taking on the loser of the game between Bethany Lutheran and Crown. The first pitch of that game is scheduled for 7 p.m.