DULUTH, Minn. – Following a successful trip to Florida the Yellowjacket baseball team was home for the first time in 2025, playing host to Northland College in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) opener.
 
The Yellowjackets came into the game looking to snap a three-game losing streak, while Northland was still searching for its first win of the year. And after slow start and one big inning, the Yellowjackets were able to put an end to the skid.
 
Trey Sybrant (Saint Michael, Minn./Saint Michael-Albertville) had a big day at the plate and Ben Welle (Melrose, Minn./Melrose) tossed a gem on the mound as the Yellowjackets took down Northland 5-0 at Wade Stadium.
 
With the win, the Yellowjackets improved to 6-9 on the year and are now 1-0 in UMAC play.
 
Sybrant factored into nearly all of the scoring, going 2-for-3, scoring a run and driving in two. His big hit was a run-scoring single in the bottom of the third.

Welle went the distance Thursday, throwing a two-hit shutout with four strikeouts. He smoothed out his game after a rough start where he loaded the bases and threw nearly 30 pitches in the top of the first. He improves to 3-1 on the year.
 
Game Notes

• Noah Dagostino (Andover, Minn./Andover) scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the third. He started things with a one-out single, stole second and came in on a single by Payton Steiner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo).
• Sybrant followed with a single to right, plating Devin Frydenlund (Belleville, Wis./Belleville).
• An error on an attempted double steal brought home the third run of the inning, and Sybrant followed with a run on a single by Tanner Voight (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater), making it 4-0 after three.
• Sybrant brought home the final run of the game in the bottom of the fifth, scoring Frydenlund on a sacrifice fly.
• The Yellowjackets threatened in the bottom of the seventh, but their rally was snuffed out two runners on and two outs.
• Welle needed just nine pitches to retire the LumberJacks in the eighth and ninth innings combined.
• After throwing nearly 30 pitches in the first, Welle finished with 104 pitches total.
• Steiner, Sybrant and Voight had two hits each and accounted for six of the seven Yellowjacket hits.
• Steiner recorded five putouts in right field within the first seven outs of the game.

The Yellowjackets and LumberJacks will play a doubleheader Friday at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex. The first pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.
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