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Wisconsin-Superior
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Wyatt Soderquist

Baseball

Yellowjackets lose two, playoff hopes dashed

Wyatt Soderquist


The Yellowjacket baseball team entered the weekend scuffling a bit, having dropped five straight games and putting themselves in jeopardy of missing the post-season.  With UW-Whitewater coming to town, the Yellowjackets had to take three-of-four from the Warhawks to leapfrog over UW-Oshkosh and gain the final playoff spot.  They held leads in both games on Friday, but in the end it will go down as a day of missed opportunities.

Whitewater outlasted the Yellowjackets in the opener, then blew game two open early, stretching the Yellowjacket losing skid to seven games and ensuring that they will be on the outside looking in when the WIAC playoffs start next week.

Game 1
Whitewater 12, Yellowjackets 11 (11 innings)
Box Score

The first game got off to an ominous start, as Yellowjacket starter Ethan Branum (Nisswa, Minn./Brainerd) got touched up for three runs.  After striking out the leadoff man on three pitches, Branum gave up a walk and a single before Whitewater's Marty Herum hit a long, three-run home run over the center field fence to make it 3-0 before the Yellowjackets ever came to bat. 

In the bottom of the third the Yellowjackets tied the game with a long ball of their own.  Robbie Veith (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) doubled and Wyatt Soderquist (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) reached with a bunt single.  With two outs in the inning, Shawn Lanners (Buckman, Minn./Royalton) connected, driving a pitch over the wall in right-center field to tie the game 3-3.

The Yellowjackets took their first lead with a big bottom of the fourth.  Tom Fairbanks (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) led off with a single to right field.  Two batters later Casey Dittel (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) singled.  Veith followed with an RBI single to make it 4-3.  Jeff Miller (Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) then singled, loading the bases for Soderquist, who stroked a double to right field, scoring two, stretching the lead to 6-3.  Evanson then plated Dittel on a ground out to make it a 7-3 game after four innings.

But as soon as the Yellowjackets built the lead, it evaporated. 

The third time through the order is when the Warhawks, who were held silent after their big first inning, got to Branum.  David Cladis was hit by a pitch and Matt Beyer singled to start the inning.  Branum got the next two hitters, but couldn't escape trouble.  Herum again did some damage, driving in a run on a single.  He and Beyer would come in to score on Ryan Leavitt's double and suddenly it was again a one-run game at 7-6.

Whitewater regained the lead in the top of the sixth.  The first five hitters reached base in the inning, producing two runs to make it an 8-7 game and chasing Branum from the mound.  He was replaced by Alex Beers (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) who didn't fare much better.  The first two hitters also produced run-scoring hits to stretch the Whitewater lead to 10-7.  Beers stopped the bleeding when fanned Leavitt to end the inning.

The Yellowjackets got a run back in the bottom of the inning when Dittel led off with a single.  He was replaced on the bases by Veith who grounded into a fielder's choice.  Veith would come around to score on Miller's double, making it 10-8.

Whitewater got the run back in the eighth when Jared Fon singled, advanced a base on Herum's single and went to third on a sacrifice fly.  Mike Mierow would follow with a single, scoring Fon to make the score 11-8.

But once again the Yellowjackets would claw their way back into the game, this time using a big eighth inning to draw even.  Dittel walked, Veith was hit by a pitch and Miller singled to load the bases.  Soderquist again came through in the clutch, punching a single through the left side, bringing home Dittel and Veith to make it a one-run game at 11-10.  Two hitters later Lanners singled, bringing home Miller with his fourth RBI of the game and tying the game. 

Things stayed that way until the top of the 11th inning.  Steve Bartlein singled and was lifted for pinch runner J.T. Schneider, who immediately stole second base and was then sacrificed to third.  Cladis followed with a bloop single to right field over a drawn in infield, scoring Schneider with the eventual winning run, making it a 12-11 game.

Whitewater outhit the Yellowjackets 20-15 in the game.

Soderquist and Lanners each had three hits and four RBI for the Yellowjackets, who also got three hits from Dittel.  Veith also added two hits and was hit by a pitch twice.  He scored four runs.

Branum gave up nine runs (seven earned) on nine hits in  5 2/3 innings.  Beers followed with 1 2/3 innings, giving up two runs (one earned) on six hits.  Andrew Lange (Swanville, Minn./Little Falls) pitched 2/3 of a scoreless inning.  Mike Swanson (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) pitched the final three innings, giving up a run on four hits.  He was tagged with the loss, falling to 3-4 on the year.

Herum had the big game at the plate for the Warhawks, going 4-6, scoring twice and driving in five.

Game 2
Whitewater 15, Yellowjackets 9
Box Score

Yellowjacket starter Dan Genrich (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) mowed through the Warhawks quickly in the top of the first and the offense followed suit in the bottom half of the inning.  Miller singled and Soderquist walked in between a pair of strikeouts.  After lanners walked to load the bases, Tony Remund (Andover, Minn./Coon Rapids) lined a two-out single to left center, scoring Miller and Soderquist.  A wild pitch scored Lanners and it was 3-0 after one inning.

But just like the first game, the Warhawks quickly erased the Yellowjacket lead.

With two outs in the top of the second Mierow singled and scored on a Barlein double.  Bartlein scored on a Brandon Egnarski single and it was 3-2.  Later in the inning Egnarski scored when pinch hitter Tim Conroy reached on an error and the game was tied 3-3.

The Warhawks got a single run in the top of the fifth on a Mierow RBI single, giving them a 4-3 lead, a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

In the top of the sixth the Warhawks blew the game open, scoring six times to make it a 10-3 game.  The first four hitters reached base, which resulted in just one run but spelled the end of the day for Genrich, who was replaced by Cody Johnson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna).  Johnson got the first out of the inning on a sacrifice fly, but Leavitt and Mierow followed with RBI singles.  Egnarski followed with an RBI ground out and Cladis with an RBI single to close out the scoring in the inning.

Whitewater scored two more runs in the seventh, and again it was Leavitt who did the damage, this time driving a double to left center field that scored two, making the Warhawk lead 12-3.

The Yellowjackets rallied and made a game of it, scoring six runs in the bottom half of the seventh.  Veith led off with a double to left field.  Two hitters later Soderquist singled up the middle, scoring Veith and it was 12-4.  Evanson followed with a double to left center, plating Soderquist.  Pinch hitter Sam Holden (Spooner, Wis./Spooner) followed with a single up the middle that scored Evanson to make it a 12-6 game.  After Remund walked, Michael Doescher (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) smoked a double to left center, bringing home two more and closing the gap to 12-8.  Doescher would come around to score when Shawn Marshall reached on an error, and the Yellowjackets were within three at 12-9.

Unfortunately, that is as close as they'd come and the Warhawks piled on three more runs.  Cladis singled to lead off the eighth inning and Conroy followed with a double.  A sacrifice fly brought home Cladis and a Fon singled scored Conroy to make it 14-9.  The Warhawks closed out the scoring Fon scored on a Herum double, making the final score 15-9.

For the second game in a row the teams pounded the ball, combining for 31 hits.  Whitewater outhit the Yellowjackets 22-9 in the second game.

Miller and Soderquist each had two hits for the Yellowjackets.  Soderquist scored twice.  Remund and Doescher each drove in two.

Genrich took the loss for the Yellowjackets, falling to 4-4 on the year.  He gave up eight runs (six earned) on 12 hits.  He walked one and had three strikeouts.  Johnson gave up four runs on six hits in 1 1/3 innings.  Bobby Tyndall (Ashland, Wis./Ashland) gave up three runs on three hits in an inning and Kyle Gauger (Spooner, Wis./Spooner) pitched the final 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit to go along with a walk and a strikeout.

Cladis and Herum each had four hits to lead the Warhawks.

The Yellowjackets (17-20, 8-14 WIAC) will put the wraps on the 2012 season on Saturday, May 5 when they play the final doubleheader of the season against UW-Whitewater.  The games at Ted Whereatt Field begin at 12:00 p.m.
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