MORRIS, Minn. – The Yellowjacket baseball team resumed its Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) series with Minnesota Morris Saturday. The 'Jackets pulled away with a 4-3 win in the opener and looked for two more key wins in the doubleheader.
 
The afternoon began with UMM taking an early 4-0 lead, but the 'Jackets scored five runs across three innings to regain the lead. A three-run seventh and a two-run eighth helped boost the Cougars to a 9-6 win in game one.
 
In the rubber match Superior garnered a leadoff home run to strike first, but a pair of homers from the Cougars saw them regain the lead. UWS responded right away with three runs in the top of the second before UMM plated five, featuring a grand slam off the bat of Ben Meuser.
 
The Yellowjackets began to chip away and came within two in the top of the seventh until another grand slam from the Cougars gave them the lead. Despite three runs in the third and another in the ninth, Minnesota Morris emerged with a 16-12 win, earning a doubleheader sweep and a series win.
 
Game One Notes

• UMM logged a pair of runs in the bottom of the second to strike first before adding two more in the bottom of the third.
• Leading off the top of the fourth inning, Payton Steiner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) sent a ball right off the scoreboard in right center field, giving the 'Jackets their first run of the day. Later in the fifth he garnered an RBI single to plate Noah Dagostino (Andover, Minn./Andover).
• Superior tied things up in the sixth with an RBI single off the bat of Wylee Lottman (Kerkhoven, Minn./Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg), scoring Cole Ondrus (Esko, Minn./Esko) who drew a base on balls.
• Devin Frydenlund (Belleville, Wis./Belleville) logged a pinch hit single up the middle to even the scoring at 4-4 before a fielder's choice plated Lottman, giving Superior a 5-4 advantage.
• The Cougars regained the lead in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three runs off two hits. They extended their lead in the eighth with two more runs off one hit.
• UWS threatened in the top of the ninth, beginning with a single up the middle from Tanner Voight (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater). With the bases loaded, Dawson Rannow (Hermantown, Minn./Hermantown) drew a pinch-hit walk to trail by three at 9-6, but the Cougars were able to escape after a popout to the shortstop.
• Steiner led offensively going 2-5 with two RBIs and a run scored. Rhodes was the other Yellowjacket with a pair of hits, going 2-4.
• Ben Welle (Melrose, Minn./Melrose) drew the start on the mound, walking away with a no-decision. He pitched 6.1 innings before giving way to Declan Higgins (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle), who was tabbed with the loss. His record now falls to 1-2.

 
Game Two Notes

• Superior got started right away in the rubber match, beginning with a leadoff homer off the bat of Frydenlund.
• Minnesota Morris's bats also got started early, as Ben Meuser hit a three-run shot before Ryan McGie followed that up with a solo shot of his own, making the score 4-1.
• As the Yellowjackets' lineup flipped over in the top of the second Frydenlund deposited another ball over the fence, this time scoring Rhodes and Lottman who reached on infield singles.
• UMM utilized a five run, two hit inning to lead 9-4 after the second, featuring a grand slam off the bat of Meuser.
• The 'Jackets were quiet until the top of the fifth after Steiner clubbed an RBI single to right center plating Rhodes, who led off the inning with a double down the left field line. The next inning featured an Ondrus double into the right center field gap before Brian O'Dwyer (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) doubled down the left field line to score Ondrus, bringing the score to 10-6 in favor of the Cougars.
• UWS came within two in the top of the seventh, as back-to-back-to-back hits scored two runs at 10-8.
• Six runs off three hits and a Yellowjacket error resulted in the bottom of the seventh, as the Cougars once again clubbed a grand slam to open the scoring at 16-8.
• The Yellowjackets had a response, however. Back-to-back singles from O'Dwyer and Rhodes brought Frydenlund to the dish and he delivered a single to right field, forcing a pitching change.
• A sacrifice fly off the bat of Steiner, coupled with a double to right field from Sybrant, brought the 'Jackets within five at 16-11.
• In Superior's final inning at the plate they were able to score one off a sac fly off the bat of O'Dwyer, but UMM drew an infield popout to secure a doubleheader sweep of the Yellowjackets, winning 16-12.
• The Yellowjackets outhit the Cougars 17-9 in the contest.
• UWS was led by Frydenlund who went 3-5 at the plate with three runs scored. He also tied his career-high RBI mark with five.
• Sybrant and Rhodes also collected three hits in the game while Steiner, Sybrant and O'Dwyer garnered two hits.
• Aiden Pfeifer (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) drew the loss on the mound, moving to 0-4 on the year. Five other Yellowjackets toed the rubber, including Miles Kay (Albertville, Minn./Saint Michael-Albertville) who threw four innings and allowed just one hit and an unearned run.

UWS (15-14, 10-5 UMAC) place conference play on hold as they play Macalester Monday. The opening pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Nicholson Field in Saint Paul, Minn.
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