SAINT BONIFACIUS, Minn. – Pitching and defense has been the Yellowjacket baseball team's bread and butter in 2024, as it leads the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) in both categories. The same cannot be said from a hitting standpoint, however.
 
Inconsistencies at the plate have limited the 'Jackets to just nine wins entering Friday. In their last two games against Martin Luther, the offense stepped up late and helped add two conference victories.
 
The Yellowjackets traveled to Missile Park Friday to face off against Crown, and the bats came alive.
 
UWS notched 15 hits on the afternoon, their second-highest mark of the campaign, while scoring 10 runs in a shutout of the Polars.
 
Game Notes

• The Yellowjackets scored one run in the first inning, as leadoff hitter Nick Fredrikson (Minneapolis, Minn./St. Anthony Village) reached base on an error before Noah Dagostino (Andover, Minn./Andover) drove him in.
• Five additional runs were scored in the top of the fourth inning, as Tanner Voight (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) led the inning off with a double. Designated hitter Owen Santiago (Minneapolis, Minn./Minnehaha Academy) would follow that up with a knock of his own, as he swam into second base for an RBI double.
• After Brian O'Dwyer (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove Senior) singled, he would advance to second after Polars pitcher Tristan Camp overthrew first baseman Ashton Long, scoring Santiago.
• Fredrikson secured an RBI single before Payton Steiner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) hit a two RBI double, as the Yellowjackets took a 6-0 lead.
• Two more runs were scored in the top of the fifth, courtesy of a Jordan Trimble (Victorville, Calif./Grandview (Colo.)) two run blast to right center field. During the following inning, Voight reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Isaac Fugere (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) who notched a single earlier in the inning.
• The final blow came from Jonny Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior), who crushed a home run to left center field in the top of the ninth, boosting the Yellowjackets' lead to 10.
• Zach Romans (Saint Michael, Minn./Saint Michael) toed the rubber for UWS and was once again masterful. He pitched a full nine innings, allowing just four hits while striking out five. His record sits at 4-0.
• Dagostino led the 'Jackets with three hits on the afternoon, going 3-4. Fugere, Voight, Santiago and Rhodes each compiled two hits.

 
The Yellowjackets continue their series with Crown Saturday, as they return to Missile Park for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. Read Full Article