Yellowjacket report: Two UWS teams reach conference title games
May 10—MANKATO — Two Wisconsin-Superior teams will have four tries to win Upper Midwest Athletic Conference championships on Saturday, May 11 after the Yellowjackets advanced into the title games for both baseball and softball on Friday, May 10.
In softball, UWS took down the host and No. 1 seed, Bethany Lutheran, rallying from 4-0 down after four innings.
UWS, seeded third, got back into the game by loading the bases with one out in the fifth inning. Indigo Fish doubled in a pair of runs and Samantha Swartz drove in two more with a two-out single, tying the game.
In the sixth, UWS took advantage of a crack in the Bethany defense. Karen Balabon led off with a single and Carly Stuckmayer sacrifice bunted her over. However, the Vikings tried to get greedy and throw Balabon out from behind. Instead, the ball went into left field and Balabon came around to score.
Swartz had the game under control from the pitcher's circle, closing out the Vikings with four scoreless innings. She allowed four hits but didn't walk a batter, earning the win.
Fish, Swartz and Balabon had two hits apiece for UWS (25-13). Bethany easily advanced through an elimination game later on Friday, setting up a rematch on Saturday at noon. UWS will win the tournament and an NCAA tournament berth if it wins that game or a potential second championship game immediately following.
Wisconsin-Superior has picked an excellent time to establish a 16-inning streak without allowing a run, as a 4-0 shutout of Crown on Friday in St. Paul vaulted the Yellowjackets into the conference championship game on Saturday.
The third-seeded Yellowjackets and fourth-seeded Polars played a tight one, with neither side getting scoring through 7 1/2 innings.
UWS broke the game opener after Peyton Steiner tripled and scored easily on Tanner Voight's double. UWS took advantage of four Crown errors in the inning, adding a run after an RBI fielder's choice from Noah Dagostino, then tacking on two more after a Brian O'Dwyer single and ensuing error.
Ben Welle started on the mound for the Yellowjackets and threw seven scoreless innings, allowing six hits and striking out two. Declan Higgins took over and threw two perfect innings, earning the win in relief.
O'Dwyer, who went 2-for-4 with two RBIs, was the only UWS player with multiple hits.
Crown went on to knock out host Northwestern in an elimination game, setting up another meeting with the Yellowjackets (22-17) in the first of two possible championship games starting on Saturday at 1 p.m.
