SAINT PAUL, Minn. – A couple days ago, the Yellowjacket softball team had its winning streak snapped with a pair of non-conference losses to UW-Eau Claire. Friday, the Yellowjackets were back on the diamond, and were back in the thick of Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play, taking on Northwestern in the first game of a three-game weekend series.
 
The Yellowjackets, who entered play Friday in first place, one game ahead of Bethany Lutheran, are one of two teams to have punched a ticket into the 2025 UMAC Tournament. Northwestern, meanwhile, came into the day in third place, two games back of the Yellowjackets and on the cusp of clinching a berth in the post-season extravaganza.
 
After Friday's action, the Yellowjackets gave themselves a little bit of breathing room over the Eagles and kept themselves a step ahead of the Vikings.
 
The Yellowjackets employed a balanced attack and rode a pair of big innings to a 9-7 win over Northwestern Friday afternoon at Reynolds Field.
 
With the win, the Yellowjackets (26-6, 13-0 UMAC) stayed one game up on Bethany Lutheran, who defeated Minnesota Morris Friday. They now have a three-game lead over Northwestern, who remains in third place, with five UMAC games left to play.
 
Carly Stuckmayer (Delano, Minn./Delano) and Peyton Bennett (Harrisburg, S.D./Harrisburg) had big games at the plate for the Yellowjackets, who also got 3.2 innings of standout relief in the circle from Bella Garley (Albuquerque, N.M./Porter (Tex.)).
 
Game Notes

• The Yellowjackets opened the scoring in the top of the first when the big dog Lily Hanson (Cloquet, Minn./Esko), who went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs Friday, scored on a wild pitch.
• Northwestern put two runs on the board in the bottom of the second to take the lead, but the Yellowjackets immediately answered with a four-run third.
• MyKenzie Leccia (Somerset, Wis./Somerset) got the scoring started, driving a double to the gap in right center, bringing home Ellie Macal (Winona, Minn./Cotter).
• Carly Stuckmayer (Delano, Minn./Delano) followed with an infield single, scoring Baylee O'Donnell (Mendota Hights, Minn./Richfield).
• Bennett came up three hitters later and, with the bases loaded, doubled to center, brining in Leccia and Stuckmayer to put the 'Jackets in front 5-2.
• Northwestern answered in the bottom of the inning, scoring twice to cut the Yellowjacket lead to one at 5-4. They would tack on two more in the bottom of the fourth to take their first lead of the day, 6-5
• In the top of the fifth the Yellowjackets quickly reclaimed the lead.
• Stuckmayer led off the inning with a bunt single, went to second on a wild pitch and scored on a double to left by Garley.
• Later in the inning Hanson singled up the middle, bringing in Garley and Karen Balabon (Elk River, Minn./Elk River) to push the Yellowjacket lead to 8-6.
• Northwestern got one of the runs back in the bottom of the fifth, making it 8-7.
• After the teams went down in order in the sixth, the Yellowjackets got some insurance in the top of the seventh when Bennett hit her first collegiate home run, clearing the fence to left to make it 9-7.
• Stuckmayer went 3-for-3 with a run scored and a run driven in.
• Bennett was 2-for-5 with a run scored and three driven in.
• Each team had 13 hits in the game.
• Abby Mitchell (Cloquet, Minn./Carlton) started in the circle for the Yellowjackets and went 3.1 innings, allowed six runs on nine hits. She walked one and struck out three.
• Garley came on in relief and gave up one run on four hits to go along with a walk and a strikeout. She earned the win to improve to 12-5 on the year.

The Yellowjackets and Eagles will play two on Saturday to close out their weekend series. The first pitch is scheduled for noon at Northwestern's Reynolds Field.
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