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Wisconsin-Superior
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Wyatt Soderquist

Baseball

Yellowjackets, Blue Devils split again

Wyatt Soderquist


Two weeks ago, on April 11, the Yellowjackets traveled to Menomonie, Wis. to take on UW-Stout in a WIAC baseball doubleheader.  In that match-up, the teams combined for 42 runs on 57 hits as each team put one in the win column.  Fast forward 14 days, and the teams came frighteningly close to duplicating their previous offensive exploits.

To complete their season series at Stout's Nelson Field, the Yellowjackets and Blue Devils, two teams with playoff aspirations, met on Wednesday and combined for 37 runs and 46 hits, as each team took a game.

For those scoring at home, that's a combined 79 runs and 103 hits in four games.

Game 1
Yellowjackets 12, Stout 10
Box Score

The first game of the day started out as a tightly contested pitcher's duel before the offenses awoke and the teams finished with a strong offensive flourish.

With two outs in the bottom of the first inning, a pair of errors put two runners on for the Blue Devils.  A single by A.J. Yusten scored Matt Guida to give the home team a 1-0 lead.  The Yellowjackets rallied to tie it in the top of the third.  Casey Dittel (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and he came around to score on a Wyatt Soderquist (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) base hit and it was 1-1.

The wheels fell off for the Yellowjackets in the bottom of the fifth.  Stout's Santiago Morales singled and stole second, advancing to third base Ryan Gangestad's double.  A Jon Schoch single scored both to give the Blue Devils a 3-1 lead.  A hit batsman made it 4-1 and a Brett Vavra bases-loaded single made it 5-1 and then a Chris Sill single scored two more to stretch the lead to 7-1.  The Blue Devils scored six runs on five hits as 11 men came to the plate.

The Yellowjackets answered with a big inning of their own in the top of the seventh, sending 12 men to the plate and scoring seven times to take the lead for the first time in the game.  

Shawn Lanners (Buckman, Minn./Royalton) drew the leadoff walk and was replaced on the bases by Shaun Marshall (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater), who went to second on a passed ball.  Michael Doescher (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) walked and a sacrifice fly put runners on the corners.  Robbie Veith (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) reached on an error, plating the first run of the innings, making it 7-2.  Two hitters later Soderquist teed off, hitting his first home run of the season, a three-run shot to pull the Yellowjackets to within two at 7-5.

With two outs Jeff Miller (Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn), #T.J. Evanson and (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna)Tony Remund# loaded the bases with consecutive singles.  a wild pitch scored Miller to make it a one-run game.  Marshall walked to again load the bases and Doescher walked to score a run and tie the game.  A wild pitch scored Remund to give the Yellowjackets their first lead of the game at 8-7.

But as quickly as they got the lead, they lost it, as the Blue Devils scored three times in the bottom of the inning.  With two on Morales doubled, clearing the bases and giving Stout a 9-8 lead.  A Gangestad RBI single plated Morales and it was 10-8.

In the eighth Veith and Soderquist sandwiched singles around a Tom Fairbanks (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) walk to load the bases.  Veith scored when Miller grounded into a double play to pull the Yellowjackets to within one at 10-9.  

Then in the ninth the Yellowjackets took the lead for good.  Marshall was hit by a pitch, while Dittel and Veith coaxed back-to-back walks to load the bases with one out.  A walk to Fairbanks scored Marshall to tie the game.  Miller then broke the tie with a two-out single, scoring two and making it 12-10.

The Yellowjackets turned to Ethan Branum (Nisswa, Minn./Brainerd) in the ninth, and he got out of the inning unscathed despite putting a couple of runners on base to preserve the victory.

The Yellowjackets pounded out 12 hits.  Veith, Soderquist and Miller all had three-hit games.  Veith also scored three times and Soderquist drove in four runs.

Graham Miller (Cumberland, Wis./Cumberland) got the start for the Yellowjackets, giving up seven runs (six earned) on six hits in four innings.  Andrew Lange (Swanville, Minn./Little Falls) pitched 2 1/3 innings before yielding to Cody Johnson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) who pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing a run and two hits and picking up the win.  Johnson is now 2-0 on the year.  Branum was credited with his first save.

Stout starter Carter Vogt was the hard-luck player of the day, giving up six runs in 6 2/3 innings, but only one run was earned.  He walked two and struck out three.  John Ewald gave up the runs in the top of the ninth and was credited with the loss. 

Gangestad paced the Stout offense with three hits.

Game 2
Stout 8, Yellowjackets 7
Box Score

The Blue Devils rallied in the rematch, winning in the last of the ninth innings, salvaging a series split and halting the Yellowjacket winning streak at five games.

Stout again jumped on the board in the bottom of the first, this time getting to Bobby Tyndall (Ashland, Wis./Ashland) in the opening frame.  Singles by Morales, Guida, Schoch and Vavra produced two runs and the Blue Devils were again off and running.

In the top of the second Marshall singled and advanced to second on a ground out.  He scored on a single by Dittel to make it 2-1.  The top of the third saw the Yellowjackets take the lead.  Remund led off with his first home run of the season to tie the game.  Later, a passed ball with one out scored Soderquist from third base to make it 3-2.  Soderquist reached on an error earlier.  Then a sacrifice fly by Fairbanks scored Evanson, who had walked, to give the Yellowjackets a 4-2 edge.

The Blue Devils tied it in the bottom of the inning.  Gangestad singled and Guida double to put two runners in scoring position with nobody out.  A Schoch ground out scored one and a Yusten single scored the other to make it a 4-4 game.

Stout took the lead again in the bottom of the sixth.  Jared Francois was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and then was sacrificed to second.  Jake Duske followed with a single, scoring Francois, and later, Gangestad reached on an error, scoring Duske to make it 6-4 Blue Devils.

Soderquist led off the seventh inning by being hit by a pitch.  Miller followed with a single and Evanson walked to load the bases.  Two batters later Marshall singled, scoring Soderquist to again pull the Yellowjackets to within one at 6-5.

In the eighth Veith led off with a double and Remund singled to put two on.  Soderquist reached on an error to load the bases with nobody out.  Veith scored to tie the game when Miller grounded into a double play, and Remund scored on an Evanson single to again give the Yellowajckets the lead.

For the second game in a row, the Yellowjackets turned to Branum to close out the game in the bottom of the ninth.  The Blue Devils, however, had other ideas. 

Morales greeted Branum with a home run to lead off the inning, tying the game at 7-7.  Branum retired the next two hitters before Schoch reached on an error to keep the inning alive.  A walk to Yusten put the winning run in scoring position and Vavra took advantage, drilling a double to left-center field, scoring Schoch, and giving Stout the 8-7 win.

The Yellowjackets again pounded out 12 hits.  They were led by Veith, Remund, Evanson and Marshall, all of which had two hits.  Remund and Soderquist each scored twice.

Tyndall got the start and pitched 3 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on seven hits.  He also walked one.  Kyle Gauger (Spooner, Wis./Spooner) followed, pitching 3 2/3 innings and giving up two runs on two hits.  Nick Bursik (Woodbury, Minn./Stillwater) pitched a perfect eigth inning before giving way to Branum, who was tagged with the loss.

Morales, Guida and Schoch were all 2-5 in the game to lead the Blue Devils.

The Yellowjackets (17-14, 8-8 WIAC) will play host to conference-leading UW-La Crosse on Saturday, April 28 at UW-Superior's Ted Whereatt Field, located on the south end of campus adjacent to Ross Hall.  Game time is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
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