Auggies take a pair from Yellowjackets

Tom Fairbanks

For the Yellowjacket baseball team, it was one more doubleheader in the climate-controlled confines of Mall of America Field before they departed for a week in sunny Arizona. That doubleheader took place on Tuesday night with a pair of late-night contests against MIAC foe Augsburg.

Game one saw the Yellowjackets jump to an early lead before a big inning brought Augsburg all the way back. In the second game Augsburg spread it out, scoring in all but one inning before a late Yellowjacket rally. Unfortunately it was too little, too late and the Auggies took both ends of the twinbill, sweeping the Yellowjackets by 9-7 and 8-7 scores.

Game 1
Augsburg 9, Yellowjackets 7
Box Score

After both teams went down in order in the first inning, the Yellowjackets broke it open in the bottom of the second. #T.J. Evanson led off with a single and went to second when (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna)Robbie Veith# reached on a fielder's choice. Michael Doescher (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) followed with a ground-rule double to right-center field, scoring Evanson to make it 1-0. Tom Fairbanks (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) followed with the big hit of the inning, a two-run triple to stretch the lead. Fairbanks would come home with the final run of the inning and it was 4-0 Yellowjackets after two innings.

Starter Mike Swanson (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) cruised through the first three ininngs, allowing just one run on two hits (all in the third inning), before disaster struck in the fourth.

Following an error to start the inning, six straight men reached on hits, resulting in five runs and the Auggies suddenly had a 6-4 lead. It was the end of the night for Swanson, who was replaced by Cody Johnson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna). Johnson was greeted with another hit and another run to stretch the lead to 7-4. The Yellowjackets finally recorded the first out of the inning, but another run came across and when all was said and done, the Auggies put up seven runs to make it an 8-4 game.

The Yellowjackets would get a run back in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI groundout from Jeff Miller (Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn), but the Auggies would answer in the top of the sixth with another run of their own to make it 9-5.

In the last of the seventh, the Yellowjackets strung together three straight one-out singles to load the bases. Tony Remund (Andover, Minn./Coon Rapids) came across on an Evanson sacrifice fly to make it 9-6. The two other runners also moved up on the play, putting two runners in scoring position with two outs. Wyatt Soderquist (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) scored on a wild pitch to pull the Yellowjackets to within two, but the rally would be killed there and the Auggies won the opener.

Evanson went 2-4 in the game with a run scored and an RBI to pace the Yellowjacket attack. He was the only Yellowjacket with multiple hits. Fairbanks went 1-3 with a run and two RBI. As a team the Yellowjackets had eight hits in the game.

Swanson was tagged with the loss, falling to 1-1 on the year. He pitched three-plus innings and allowed eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits with a walk and a strikeout. Johnson threw extremely well in relief, pitching four innings and allowing one run on three hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

Brent Kolbow went 3-4 and scored three runs to lead Augsburg. Lou LaChappelle, Adam Seaman, Ryan Sward and Alec Johnson all had two RBI for the Auggies.

Game 2
Augsburg 8, Yellowjackets 7
Box Score

The second game was all Auggies, as they scored in every inning except the second to build a big lead early. The Yellowjackets eventually rallied but weren't able to push across the tying run.

With two outs in the bottom of the first the Auggies put together three straight hits, capped by an Adam Carl double to make it 2-0 after one. Single runs in the third, fourth and fifth innings made it a 5-0 Augsburg lead before the Yellowjacket offense finally got going.

Casey Dittel (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) led off the sixth with a single, giving the Yellowjackets their first hit of the game. After a Remund walk, Soderquist singled to right field, scoring Dittel to make it 5-1. With runners on first and third, Miller hit into a fielder's choice to make it 5-2. The Auggies quashed the Yellowjacket rally and came to bat, opening the sixth with four consecutive hits, eventually plating three runs to stretch their lead to 8-2.

In the top of the seventh Veith led off with a single and went to third on a Shawn Lanners (Buckman, Minn./Royalton) double. Fairbanks then reached on an error to score a run to make it 8-3. Justin Haag (Big Lake, Minn./Big Lake) followed with an RBI single and later, Soderquist would triple, scoring two more runs and the lead was cut to 8-6. Soderquist himself would score on a Miller single to make it a one-run game at 8-7. With the tying run on first, Evanson worked the count full but could not extend the at bat, or the inning, and the Yellowjackets were swept.

Ethan Branum (Nisswa, Minn./Brainerd) got the start and went the distance for the Yellowjackets, giving up eight runs (seven earned) on 16 hits in six innings. He struck out five, throwing 94 pitches in the process. He falls to 1-1 on the season. Ryan Mestnick got the win for Augsburg after throwing four scoreless, hitless innings.

Soderquist led the charge for the Yellowjackets once they finally got their bats in the game, going 2-3 with a run scored and three RBI. The Yellowjackets had seven hits.

Tom Petersen went 4-4, scored twice and drove in three to lead Augsburg offensively.

The Yellowjackets (2-4, 0-0 WIAC) return to action on Saturday, March 17 when they take on Norwich University out of Northfield, Vt. in Tucson, Ariz.

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Auggies take a pair from Yellowjackets