SUPERIOR, Wis. – Following a successful end to its trip to Florida, the Yellowjacket softball team returned home for the first time in 2024, hosting Northland College in the opening series of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) season.
 
With Friday's series opener postponed, the Yellowjackets and LumberJills had to wait a day to get their season series started, but it was well worth the wait for the Yellowjackets, who rolled to a sweep of the LumberJills at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex.

The Yellowjackets took the opener 8-0, before closing the sweep with a 16-0 win. With the wins, the Yellowjackets (10-6, 2-0 UMAC) have now won eight straight.
 
In the opener the Yellowjackets did most of their damage in the bottom of the second, scoring seven of their eight runs in the game. All seven runs crossed the plate after there were two outs in the inning.
 
Bella Garley (Albuquerque, N.M./Porter (Tex.)) was one of three Yellowjackets with two hits in the game, and she also earned the win with a complete-game effort in the circle.
 
Game One Notes

• Larissa Snyder (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park), Ellie Macal (Winona, Minn./Cotter) and Garley each had two hits to pace the Yellowjacket offense, accounting for six of the team's eight hits.
• In the second inning, Norah Schmitz (Carver County, Minn./Waconia) started the scoring with an RBI single to left, scoring Garley.
• Macal stroked a run-scoring double to left later in the second inning.
• The Yellowjacket offense was aided by four Northland errors in the second.
• In the bottom of the fourth, Macal had her second RBI double of the game, scoring Snyder on a two-bagger to left with the game's final run.
• Garley improved to 4-0 on the year, scattering three hits to go along with a walk and five strikeouts over five innings.

Offense was more plentiful for the Yellowjackets in the second game, as they broke things open early with an eight-run first inning. The 'Jackets added five more in the second on the way to a lopsided win.
 
For the game, 11 different players had at least one hit for the Yellowjackets, who as a team pounded out 15 hits. Four players – Lily Hanson (Cloquet, Minn./Esko), Carly Stuckmayer (Delano, Minn./Delano Senior), Samantha Swartz (Antigo, Wis./Antigo) and Kendallyn Kalenberg (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) each had two hits, to lead the way.
 
Emma Pillion (Ottawa, Ill./Ottawa Township) was the beneficiary of all the offense, cruising to the win in the circle. The junior southpaw got the start and improved to 3-3 on the year, allowing just one hit in three innings. She walked two and struck out three.
 
Game Two Notes

• Snyder got the scoring started in the second game, launching her team-leading second home run of the year over the fence in center field. The two-run shot gave UWS a 2-0 lead.
• Baylee O'Donnell (Mendota Hights, Minn./Richfield) had the big hit of the inning, delivering a bases-clearing triple down the right field line to push the Yellowjacket lead to 6-0.
• The Yellowjackets added five more runs in the bottom of the second. Three of them came home on Hanson's double to the gap in left center field.
• Swartz had RBI singles up the middle in both the third and fourth innings.
• O'Donnell toed the rubber in the top of the fourth and struck out the side while allowing one walk and one hit.
• Georgia Youngblood (Ray, Mich./Lutheran North) closed the game, allowing one hit in the fifth.

The Yellowjackets will put their winning streak on the line Thursday, when they host Martin Luther. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex in Superior.
  Read Full Article