DULUTH, Minn. – The Yellowjacket baseball team returned to Wade Stadium Monday to take on the College of St. Scholastica in another non-conference game. This match up was the 19th of all time between the two squads, dating back to the 2010 season.
Since joining the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) in 2015, the Yellowjackets have continuously fell to the Saints in baseball as they dominated the circuit. St. Scholastica moved to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) in the 2021-22 season, but with just a ten-minute drive over the Richard I. Bong Memorial Highway (US-2 W), the teams would continue to face each other in non-conference battle.
The program's first victory over the Saints came in the 2019 UMAC Tournament, as former Yellowjacket designated hitter and pitcher Braeden Barr threw a complete game to limit the top-seeded St. Scholastica to just eight hits and three runs for their first win in school history.
Enter Monday.
The Yellowjackets drew first blood and utilized a seven-run sixth inning to power past the Saints, winning 12-6 in non-conference play.
Game Notes
- The weather certainly wasn't on the 'Jackets or Saints' side, as the rain constantly fell at roughly 38 degrees.
- The 'Jackets scored in the top of the first as Jonny Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) singled up the middle. Cole Ondrus (Esko, Minn./Esko) executed a sacrifice bunt before Wylee Lottman (Kerkhoven, Minn./Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg) singled, causing Rhodes to score on a Saints error at second base.
- Tanner Voight (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) would ground out to shortstop, but the throw pulled the first baseman off the bag and Lottman would score to take a 2-0 lead.
- St. Scholastica scored four runs in the bottom of the second, along with another in the bottom of the third to take a 5-3 lead.
- UWS would retaliate in the top of the fifth, as Rhodes would single and advance to second on an error. He would advance on a passed ball before Ondrus hit a sacrifice fly to plate Rhodes. Lottman reached on an infield single, and Tanner Voight (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) did the same before Maxton Howell (Mission Viejo, Calif./Mission Viejo) was plunked to load the bases for Jordan Trimble (Victorville, Calif./Grandview (Colo.)), who reached on a fielder's choice to plate Lottman to chop the Saints' lead down to just one.
- The top of the sixth inning started with two strikeouts, but after Rhodes was hit by a pitch, Ondrus doubled to center field to bring Rhodes to third. Lottman would single up the middle and advance to scoring position as he plated both Ondrus and Rhodes to regain the lead at 6-5.
- Trimble was given another bases-loaded opportunity and he delivered with a single that perfectly split the left side of the infield, plating Voight and Lottman.
- St. Scholastica would require their second pitcher of the inning, but Wylee Arro (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown) clubbed a single to left field that scored Trimble and Howell. An error from the third baseman saw Brian O'Dwyer (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove Senior) advance to second on his single and Arro to touch home, giving UWS an 11-5 lead.
- The 12th run came in the top of the seventh, as Voight reached on a fielder's choice to score Rhodes who singled to left.
- The Saints scored one run in the bottom of the seventh, but that would be all as Josh Pritchard (Surrey, British Columbia/Clayton Heights Secondary) came in relief and shut the bats down. He would pitch the final three innings, allowing just three hits and one run while striking out three as UWS emerged victorious 12-6.
- Starting on the mound for UWS was Adam Jensen (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd), who was relieved by Gio Basile (Eau Claire, Wis./Eau Claire North) and Reese Fleig (Washburn, Wis./Washburn). Also pitching three innings, Fleig would pick up the victory, improving to 2-2 on the season.
- Lottman led with four hits on the afternoon, going 4-6 with three RBIs and three runs scored.
- Rhodes was 3-5 at the plate, scoring four runs in the process.
The Yellowjackets (19-15, 13-5 UMAC) will close conference action this weekend, playing a three-game series with Bethany Lutheran beginning Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex.
