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Ethan Branum

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Pointers complete sweep of Yellowjackets

Ethan Branum


In baseball vernacular, the term "walk-off" is used when a team wins a game in its final at bat.  It doesn't necessarily have to have anything to do with a walk.  The Yellowjackets learned this first-hand on Sunday, as UW-Stevens Point used some late-game heroics to win both games and complete the four-game sweep.

Game 1
Stevens Point 1, Yellowjackets 0
Box Score

On Saturday the Pointers used some strong slugging to propel themselves to a pair of wins over the Yellowjackets.  In the first game on Sunday, it was all about pitching.

Pointer starter Cam Seidl was masterful, taking a no-hitter into the eighth inning and shutting the Yellowjackets out on a one-hitter.  Yellowjacket starter Ethan Branum (Nisswa, Minn./Brainerd) was equally as strong, giving up only eight hits and taking a shutout into the ninth inning.

With the game scoreless, Bryan Clark led off the bottom of the ninth with a single through the left side, and the Yellowjackets made a pitching change, replacing Branum with Cody Johnson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna).  Johnson got the first out when Chris Barnes sacrificed Clark to second.  A pair of walks loaded the bases and Jimmy Coady ended the game, flying out to right field and scoring Clark with the game's only run.

Tom Fairbanks (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) recorded the only hit, an eighth-inning single, for the Yellowjackets. 

Branum pitched into the ninth inning, giving up one run on eight hits to go along with a walk and a three strikeouts.  He took the loss and falls to 3-2 on the year.  Johnson walked two hitters in 2/3 of an inning.

Ryan Schilter and Riley Spetz each had two hits for the Pointers. 

Seidl improved to 3-1 on the year with the complete-game win, giving up one hit and walking two while striking out six.

Game 2
Stevens Point 6, Yellowjackets 5
Box Score

In the second game, the Yellowjackets finally found their bats and they jumped out to a huge lead early, in an attempt to salvage a win in the four-game set.  The Pointers had other ideas, however, chipping away at the lead until they were able to close the Yellowjackets out in the bottom of the ninth for the second time on the day.

Zach Wendorf got the start for the Pointers, but he wasn't around for very long.  Tony Remund (Andover, Minn./Coon Rapids) led off with a walk, Wyatt Soderquist (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) was hit by a pitch and Jeff Miller (Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) walked to load the bases without putting a ball in play.  That spelled the end of the day for Wendorf, who would be charged with all three runs as the Yellowjackets got rolling.

After the pitching change #T.J. Evanson# doubled, scoring Remund and Soderquist.  Robbie Veith (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) singled, scoring Miller and moving Evanson to third and it was 3-0.  Shaun Marshall (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater) would follow with a double, scoring Evanson and Veith and it was 5-0 before the first out was recorded.  Unfortunately for the Yellowjackets, they were done scoring for the afternoon.

Mike Swanson (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) got the start for the Yellowjackets and fired zeros at the nationally-ranked Pointers for the first four innings.  Stevens Point got on the board in the bottom of the fifth.  Sean Gerber walked and went to second on a wild pitch.  Following a Clark single, Max Middlestaedt grounded into a double play, scoring the run and it was 5-1.

Things began to get dicey after the seventh inning stretch, and for the first time on the day, it was due in part ot a slugger.  Ryan Schilter walked to lead off the inning and Justin Jirschele followed with a base hit.  Both runners scored when Gerber connected for a three-run home run and just like that it was a one-run game at 5-4.

For the second time in the game the Yellowjackets had a pitcher work into the ninth inning.  Swanson got the first out before giving up a one-out single to Jirschele, which ended his day.  Andrew Lange (Swanville, Minn./Little Falls) came on to try and preserve the win, but the Pointers had the momenum and used it to close out the game.  

Gerber singled to right, sending Clay Giese (who pinch ran for Jirschele) to third.  Clark followed with a single to left field, scoring Giese and tying the game.  Gerber, representing the winning run, advanced to third on the play.  Middlestaedt, who drove in the first Pointer run of the game in the fifth, drove in the last in the ninth, flying out to right field and plating Gerber in the process, making it a 6-5 final.

Marshall had a good day at the plate for the Yellowjackets, going 3-4 with two RBI.  Veith added two hits and an RBI.

Swanson pitched 8 1/3 innings, giving up five earned runs on 11 hits to go along with three walks and three strikeouts.  Lange finished the game for the Yellowjackets, giving up a run on two hits in 1/3 of an inning.  Lange took the loss, falling to 0-1 on the year.

Gerber and Clark paced the Pointers with three hits apiece.  Gerber also scored three times and drove in three runs.

Max Frederick relieved Wendorf in the first inning and pitched seven scoreless innings.  Ryan Iverson pitched the final two innings, giving up just two hits, to get the win.

The Yellowjackets (12-13, 3-7 WIAC) will finally make their home debut on Saturday, April 21 when they play host to UW-Platteville in a conference doubleheader.  The first pitch from Wade Stadium in Duluth is scheduled for 12 p.m.
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