DULUTH, Minn. — A big eighth inning proved to be the difference Tuesday afternoon, as UW-Superior pulled away late to defeat the St. Scholastica baseball team 11-3 in a "Bridge Battle" matchup at Wade Stadium.
The Yellowjackets (18-11) broke open a competitive game with a six-run eighth inning, turning a two-run contest into a comfortable lead. After holding a 4-2 advantage through seven innings, UW-Superior capitalized on five hits and a pair of Saints errors in the frame, highlighted by a three-run double from Owen Farrington and a two-run single from Isaac Johnson.
St. Scholastica (16-14) showed early signs of life, opening the scoring in the second inning when Max Israel (Cottage Grove, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) reached and eventually came home on a passed ball. The Saints added another run in the fourth, cutting the deficit to 4-2 on an Andrew Beffel (Highlands Ranch, CO/Mountain Vista HS) sacrifice fly that scored Markus Isaiah (Centralia, IL/Centralia HS).
Israel led the Saints offensively with a 2-for-4 performance, while Beffel and Dane Vermillion (Milwaukee, WI/Wauwatosa East HS) each drove in a run. The Saints were limited to six hits on the day and struck out five times at the plate.
On the mound, Ben Schefers (Cologne, MN/Central HS) took the loss after allowing four runs over four innings, striking out five. Jack Holley (San Gabriel, CA/South Pasadena HS) followed with three innings of relief before UW-Superior's late surge.
UW-Superior first grabbed momentum in the third inning, scoring three runs behind a two-run double from Noah Dagostino and an RBI single from Trey Sybrant. They added another run in the fourth before the Saints trimmed the deficit, but Scholastica was unable to find a breakthrough against the Yellowjacket bullpen.
The Saints plated one final run in the ninth on Vermillion's RBI single, but the late push came up short.
St. Scholastica will look to bounce back on Saturday afternoon when they host Hamline in a MIAC doubleheader at Wade Stadium.
