ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Crown College Polars (21-20, 14-7 UMAC) won the 2024 UMAC Baseball Tournament Championship on Saturday with back-to-back wins over the University of Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets (22-19, 14-7 UMAC). The UMAC postseason title is the second in program history for the Polars.
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Tournament Page |
Game 1:
Box Score |
Broadcast On-Demand |
Game 2:
Box Score |
Broadcast On-Demand |
Crown entered Saturday needing to win two games in a row to clinch the championship. Wisconsin-Superior, however, needed just one win to clinch the title due to going undefeated in the first two days of the double-elimination tournament.
The Yellowjackets jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the opening game on Saturday. The Polars responded with back-to-back three run innings to go up 6-3. Wisconsin-Superior cut the Polars’ lead down to one in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of runs to make it 6-5.
Crown and Wisconsin-Superior each added two more runs each over the next few innings as the game moved to the top of the ninth inning with the Polars holding a one-run lead up 8-7. Crown added an insurance run in the final inning to go up 9-7 and sent the Yellowjackets down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth to secure the win.
With game one secured by Crown, the two teams prepared to play one final game to determine the conference postseason champion.
In the winner-take-all game two, the Yellowjackets scored to go up 1-0 in the top of the first. Crown responded with a pair of runs in each of the next two innings to go up 4-1.
The two teams traded runs in the third before Wisconsin-Superior struck with a three-run inning to tie the game up at 5-5 in the fourth.
Crown broke the tie in the sixth inning as Matthew Shaugabay launched a two-run home run to left to put the Polars up 7-5. Mason Brock added to Crown’s lead later that same inning with an RBI single to center, giving the Polars a three-run lead late in the championship game.
The Yellowjackets got one run back in the seventh to make it 8-6, but the Polars’ pitching shut down Wisconsin-Superior the rest of the way. Drew Girtz slammed the door shut in the bottom of the ninth for the Polars, striking out the side to secure the 8-6 win for Crown and their second UMAC Tournament title in program history.
Tristan Camp was named the 2024 UMAC Baseball Tournament Most Valuable Player.
With the conference tournament victory, Crown has earned the UMAC’s automatic bid and will advance to compete in the NCAA DIII Championship. The Polars will find out on Monday, May 13 in the NCAA Selection Show who they will compete against in the first round of the national tournament next week.