MORRIS, Minn. – The Yellowjacket softball team entered play Saturday on quite a roll, having won four games in a row and 15 out of its last 16, going all the way back to the team's trip to Florida in mid-March. Included in that stretch was a half-dozen wins against Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) opponents.
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Saturday the Yellowjackets hit the road to take on Minnesota Morris in the first game of a three-game weekend series that could also be a potential UMAC tournament preview. Both teams came into the game unbeaten in UMAC play, but it was Morris that who would leave the game with an untarnished mark, following a 10-2 win over the Yellowjackets at Ottertail Field.
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Despite the loss, the Yellowjackets (17-8, 6-1 UMAC) remain in the thick of the hunt for the UMAC regular season championship, with eight more games to play against the other top teams in the conference.
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The Yellowjackets mustered just two hits in the game, and had only four runners reach base, while Morris pounded out 13 hits.
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Bella Garley (Albuquerque, N.M./Porter (Tex.)) got the start in the circle for the Yellowjackets, pitching 2.2 innings and allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits and getting tagged with the loss to fall to 7-4 on the year.
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Game Notes
- Morris blew open a close game with two runs in the third and five in the fifth.
- The Yellowjackets opened the scoring Saturday when Ellie Macal (Winona, Minn./Cotter) delivered a run-scoring single in the top of the first, scoring Larissa Snyder (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park).
- After falling behind 2-1 after the first inning, MyKenzie Leccia (Somerset, Wis./Somerset) pulled the Yellowjackets even again, hitting her team-leading fifth home run of the season to lead off the top of the second inning.
- Leccia now leads the team in several offensive categories, including doubles (11), home runs, RBI (32), total bases (54), slugging percentage (.818) and batting average (.424).
- Snyder has scored at least one run in five straight games.
- Emma Pillion (Ottawa, Ill./Ottawa Township) pitched the final two innings for the Yellowjackets.Â
The Yellowjackets and Cougars will play a UMAC doubleheader Sunday. The first pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Ottertail Field.
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