Apr. 7—Once they got the first win out of the way, the rest of them came easily for Wisconsin-Superior softball in a three-game weekend series against Crown.
The Yellowjackets fended off the Polars 7-5 on Friday, April 4 in Maple Grove, Minnesota before routing them 24-3 and 10-2 on Saturday, April 5 in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play.
Friday's game was no walk in the park, and in fact, UWS trailed 2-0 after an inning and 5-4 after five. Peyton Bennett tripled in the tying run in the top of the sixth, then scored the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly. Norah Schmitz doubled home an insurance run in the seventh.
Bennett and Schmitz were two of four Yellowjackets with two hits apiece. Bella Garley and Samantha Swartz split the pitching duties nearly evenly, with Swartz getting the win in relief.
UWS put up 11 runs in the first inning and cruised in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.
MyKenzie Leccia was 4-for-5 and scored three runs, while Bennett had three hits and two RBIs and five others had multi-hit games.
Abby Mitchell (Carlton/Wrenshall) pitched three scoreless innings for her first collegiate win.
In game two, UWS poured it on at a more measured pace, scoring four times in the second inning and not triggering the run rule until the sixth inning.
Ellie Macal was 3-for-4 with a double, a triple and three RBIs, while Carly Stuckmayer also had a three-hit game.
Garley allowed two runs on three hits in the first four innings, while Mitchell allowed one hit in two innings for save.
UWS (18-4, 6-0 UMAC) was scheduled to travel to Wisconsin-Stout for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 8.
The UWS baseball team couldn't find a way past visiting Crown in three attempts over the weekend at NBC Spartan Sports Complex, losing their UMAC series opener 8-6 in 10 innings on Saturday, April 5, then dropping both halves of a doubleheader, 18-10 and 5-2 on Sunday, April 6.
UWS had pulled ahead 6-5 in the bottom of the sixth of the nine-inning opener on Saturday only for Crown to tie it on a leadoff homer in the top of the ninth. Another two-run shot followed in the 10th that proved decisive.
Trey Sybrant was 2-for-5 with an RBI to lead the UWS offense.
On Sunday, UWS had battled back from down 5-2 and 10-5 to within 11-9 when a seven-run eighth inning finished them off.
Three Yellowjackets had two hits apiece, with one of them, Maxton Howell, recording a double and three RBIs. Tanner Voight had a triple, two RBIs and scored three times.
In game two, two-run bursts from the visitors in the sixth and ninth innings provided enough distance. Devin Frydenlund was 2-for-5 with an RBI double, while Chase Oxborough had a three-hit game and scored both UWS runs.
UWS (11-12, 6-3 UMAC) will try and regroup with a conference series at North Central next Saturday and Sunday, April 12-13.
