University of Wisconsin-Superior Athletics

MANKATO, Minn. - The Yellowjacket baseball team took home a victory over Northwestern in the opening round of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament Thursday. Friday they took on Bethany Lutheran, and although they took a 3-2 lead in the first half of the game, the Vikings rebounded with a pair of three-spots to win 9-5. 

The 'Jackets turned right around and played Minnesota Morris in an elimination game, and the bats exploded for 17 hits and 24 runs to take down the Cougars 24-6 in seven innings. 

Game One Notes 

• A pair of BLC runs came in the bottom of the second inning, and the 'Jackets garnered an RBI single off the bat of Noah Dagostino (Andover, Minn./Andover) to plate Isaac Johnson (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo), who doubled down the left field line earlier in the top of the third. 

• Brian O'Dwyer (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove) drove in Trey Sybrant (Saint Michael, Minn./Saint Michael-Albertville) with an RBI double to left field to knot things up at 2-2 and would eventually take the lead after a Sybrant sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth. 

• The Vikings utilized a three-run homer to left field to lead 5-3 until Wylee Lottman's (Kerkhoven, Minn./Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg) RBI double cut the deficit down to just one at 5-4. 

• Superior once again responded, this time courtesy of a pinch-hit sacrifice fly from Will Czech (Anoka, Minn./Anoka) who brought them within one at 6-5. 

• Three more runs off three hits came in the bottom of the eighth, leading to Bethany's 9-5 win. 

• Tanner Voight (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) and Lottman led with two hits offensively. 

• On the mound Josh Pritchard (Surrey, British Columbia/Clayton Heights Secondary) was delt the loss, pitching 6.1 innings and allowing six runs off seven hits. 

• Both Declan Higgins (Minneapolis, Minn./DeLaSalle) and Adam Jensen's (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) efforts were used to pitch the final 1.2 innings. 

Game Two Notes 

• In the elimination game, the Cougars came out on top early with a pair of runs to start the contest. 

• Superior responded with an RBI single from Lottman and would later utilize Cougar miscues to take the lead and never relinquish. 

• Seven runs came around to score for Superior in the bottom of the third, all beginning with a pair of walks. Voight sent a double into the right center gap and Lottman doubled down the left field line to lead 11-3. 

• Sybrant brought in the 12th and 13th runs of the game in the bottom of the fourth before five more runs off five hits and a Cougar error saw Superior lead 18-3. 

• Despite a trio of runs off the bat of the Cougars, the Yellowjackets were unable to come back from the deficit, and a six-run three-hit insurance inning shut the door for the 'Jackets.  

• O'Dwyer's big blast came in the sixth with the bases loaded, as he turned on a pitch that was sent over the left field fence. This would give UWS a 24-6 victory. 

• Superior scored at least one run in every inning played Friday. 

• Voight went a perfect 4-4 with five runs scored and five RBIs.  

• Carter Thielke (Fergus Falls, Minn./Fergus Falls) threw well for Superior, allowing just six runs of 11 hits in all seven innings. 

The 'Jackets have advanced to championship day at the conference tournament. They must win two games against Bethany Lutheran to claim the program's first postseason title while a member of the UMAC. Game one begins at 1 p.m. at ISG Field.