Oles take it to Yellowjackets

Tony Remund

St. Olaf 10, Yellowjackets 1
Box Score

On the Yellowjackets' spring trip to Arizona, they went 7-1, outscoring their opponents 94-30 and outhitting them 105-64. For those scoring at home, that's an average of 11.75 runs and 13.14 hits per-game over the eight-game trip. Was it the warm Arizona temperatures? Was it the water? Did the offense miss the flight back to Wisconsin? Whatever the reason, the offense was noticeably absent when the Yellowjackets took on St. Olaf in Northfield on Thursday.

The Yellowjackets scratched out just six hits and scored once as they were thumped by the Oles 10-1.

All of the Yellowjacket offense came in the first inning. Tony Remund (Andover, Minn./Coon Rapids) doubled to lead off the game and advanced to third on a ground out. He would score when #T.J. Evanson# reached on an error and it was 1-0 Yellowjackets.

The Oles answered with a single run in the bottom of the second and took the lead for good with another single run in bottom of the fourth. They blew the game open in the bottom of the sixth when they plated three runs to make it 5-1. Travis Elwood (Ramsey, Minn./Anoka), making his first appearance of the season, got roughed up, allowing the three runs on three hits. The inning was helped along by a walk, a wild pitch and an error.

In the bottom of the seventh the Oles put the game out of reach. The first two hitters reached base and were bunted into scoring position. Chris Paradise doubled both of them home to make it 7-1. The next four hitters all reached on hits and suddenly the Yellowjackets were on the verge of the mercy rule, trailing 10-1. Graham Miller (Cumberland, Wis./Cumberland), who relieved Elwood, was lifted for Cody Johnson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna), who came in and stopped the bleeding.

The Yellowjackets did put two runners on base in the top of the ninth on back-to-back singles from Shaun Marshall (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) and Tom Fairbanks (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd), but the rally was quashed before either runner could come across to score.

Remund was the only Yellowjacket to have a multi-hit game, finishing 2-4 and scoring the only run of the game. Evanson, Marshall, Fairbanks and Wyatt Soderquist (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) had the other hits for the Yellowjackets.

The Yellowjackets planned to pitch by committee in this one, as nine different pitchers got work. Ethan Branum (Nisswa, Minn./Brainerd), the reigning WIAC Pitcher of the Week got the start and threw a perfect first inning with one strikeout. Bobby Tyndall (Ashland, Wis./Ashland) and Andrew Lange (Swanville, Minn./Little Falls) also pitched scoreless innings before the Oles blew the game open. Dan Genrich (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) gave up a run on two hits in the fourth inning and was tagged with the loss, falling to 2-1 on the year.

Paradise led the way for the Oles, going 4-5 with three runs scored and two RBI. Sam Mauss went 3-4 and also drove in a pair.

Jake Schmiesing got the start and gave up a run on a hit in two innings. Kyle Watson came on in relief and pitched two scoreless innings to pick up the win. The Oles used six pitchers on the day.

The Yellowjackets (9-6, 0-0 WIAC) will open the WIAC season on the road, when they travel to UW-Oshkosh to take on the Titans in a doubleheader on Saturday, March 31. The first game is scheduled to get underway at 12:00 p.m.

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