WINONA, Minn. – The Yellowjacket baseball team returned to Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play Friday, taking on Martin Luther College in doubleheader action. Originally these games were to be played on the Knights' campus, but winter weather forced the two ball clubs to travel to Max Molock Field on the campus of Saint Mary's.
The Yellowjackets didn't play their best games, but found a way to get the job done, winning two by scores of 5-4 and 6-3.
Game One Notes
- UWS scored first in the top of the first inning after a Payton Steiner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) triple. He would be driven in by Isaac Fugere's (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) single to left field.
- The Knights took the lead in the bottom of the second, scoring two runs on three consecutive hits. Martin Luther strung together two more runs off Yellowjacket starter Zach Romans (Saint Michael, Minn./Saint Michael) in their half of the fourth, bringing the score to 4-1.
- The Yellowjackets answered back, however, as Steiner belted a two-run home run to the opposite field. Fugere reached on an error from the Knights' shortstop, and Wylee Lottman (Kerkhoven, Minn./Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg) drilled a pinch-hit RBI triple to right field to even things up at four runs apiece.
- Action slowed down until the top of the eighth inning, with Trey Sybrant (Saint Michael, Minn./Saint Michael-Albertville Senior) reaching base on an error. He would steal second and get cashed in from an RBI single from Brian O'Dwyer (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove Senior).
- Martin Luther loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth, but Aiden Pfeifer (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) was able to shut the door and give the Yellowjackets a 5-4 win.
- Payton Steiner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) led the offensive production in game one, going 4-5 with two RBIs. He hit for the cycle, clubbing a single, double, triple, and home run.
- After pitching the final five innings, Pfeifer now sits at 3-1 on the year. He allowed just five hits, walking one and fanning two.
Game Two Notes
- Both teams would be scoreless until the bottom of the fourth, as the Knights tallied a leadoff double and was ultimately brought in by Spencer Lilienthal's RBI single.
- Martin Luther nabbed their second run of the game, courtesy of a solo shot from Mark Vogel.
- The 'Jackets answered back in a major way in the top of the sixth, as Fugere and Will Czech (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) singled before Tanner Voight (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) hit a three-run home run to regain the lead at 3-2.
- Starting pitcher Ben Welle (Melrose, Minn./Melrose Area) was relieved in the bottom of the sixth inning by southpaw hurler Declan Higgins (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle). Welle's five innings would not factor into the game's decision.
- The Knights scored in the bottom of the seventh, as Mason Cox drilled a triple to left field and Caleb Heckendorf hit an RBI single to tie the contest at three runs apiece.
- UWS rallied for three runs in the top of the ninth inning, beginning with a single to left by Voight. O'Dwyer and Jonny Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) followed with singles of their own before Nick Fredrikson (Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village) would get plunked. Noah Dagostino (Andover, Minn./Andover) hit a sacrifice fly to right field before Steiner singled in the same direction, boosting UWS in front by three runs.
- Once again, the Knights didn't go down without a fight, putting two runners on base before Higgins secured the victory for the Yellowjackets.
- Voight sparked the Yellowjacket offense, going 3-4 with three RBIs.
- Martin Luther was led by Mason Cox, going 4-5 in the contest.
The Yellowjackets (9-9, 4-0 UMAC) continue UMAC action in a week, traveling to face Crown College in a three-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Missile Park.
