Yellowjackets salvage split with Titans

Tony Remund rounds third after hitting his second home run of the season in the first game against Oshkosh on Monday.

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

On Sunday the Yellowjacket baseball team opened the conference season with a pair of close games with UW-Oshkosh. The doubleheader produced just 13 runs and resulted in a pair of wins for the Titans. The offense was doled out a bit more liberally on Monday, as the teams combined 26 runs in a pair of games that resulted in one victory going each way.

Oshkosh 11, Yellowjackets 1

In the early going the Titans methodically built up the early lead, scoring twice in the bottom of the second inning and once in each the bottom of the third and fourth innings to move ahead 4-0.

Offense was tough to come by, as the Yellowjackets mustered just two hits in the first five innings. That changed in the top of the sixth inning, as the Yellowjackets scored their lone run of the first game. With one out senior infielder Tony Remund (Andover, Minn./Coon Rapids) clubbed his second home run of the season, jerking a pitch over the fence in left field to pull the Yellowjackets to within 4-1.

That was as close as the Yellowjackets would get, however, as the Titans put the game well out of reach in the later innings.

In the bottom of the sixth inning the Titans scored twice, as Bobby Kachel singled home a pair of runs to make it a 6-1 game. Then in the bottom of the seventh the Titans plated five runs to invoke the run rule and put the game to an end. The big hit of the inning was a two-run single from Trent Whitcomb. Single runs also scored on a Tyler Kozlowski single, a wild pitch and an error.

The Yellowjackets had just five hits in the game, getting one each from five different players. Oshkosh had 11 hits in the contest, led by Kozlowski and Jake Dostalek who had two apiece.

Alex Beers (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) got the start for the Yellowjackets and took the loss, falling to 2-1 on the year. He gave up six runs on nine hits in 5.2 innings. He walked five and struck out five. Brock McDermid (Pulaski, Wis./Pulaski) pitched an inning and give up four runs (three earned) on just one hit, but control was a problem for him as he walked three. Christian Hall (Siren, Wis./Siren) finished out the game on the mound for the Yellowjackets.

Travis Sindles got the win for the Titans, pitching a complete game.

Yellowjackets 10, Oshkosh 4

With the losing streak at four games, the Yellowjackets dialed up the offense in the final game of the series and put an end to the skid. The Yellowjackets banged out ten hits and never trailed to win their ninth game of the season, and more importantly, pick up a win in conference play.

In the second Tom Fairbanks (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) tripled down the right field line and scored two batters later on a single from Sam Holden (Spooner, Wis./Spooner). Control issues then began to haunt Oshkosh pitcher Shane Hayes. With two outs Hayes issued consecutive walks to Alex Petroski (Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon) and Derek Cagle (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) to load the bases. He then missed the strike zone four times on Wyatt Soderquist (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti), forcing in another run and giving the Yellowjackets a 2-0 lead. The free pass also spelled the end of the day for Hayes.

Things stayed that way until the bottom of the fourth inning. With one on and one out Robbie Kleman sent one over the wall in left field to tie the game at 2-2.

The Yellowjackets then blew the game wide open, scoring seven times in the top of the seventh.

Holden led off with a single and Petroski reached on an error to put runners on second and third. Cagle followed with a bunt single to load the bases and Soderquist untied the game, driving a double to the gap in right center field, scoring Holden and Petroski. Following a strikeout Matt Vold (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) was intentionally walked to load the bases and put the double play in order. Remund came up next and was hit by a pitch to bring home the third run of the inning. Two hitters later Alex Quinones (Waterloo, Iowa/) reached on an error, bringing home two more runs, pushing the score to 7-2. Holden then came through with this second hit of the inning, doubling to right center, bringing home two runs to give the Yellowjackets a commanding 9-2 lead.

Oshkosh got two runs back in the bottom of the inning. Two straight doubles to lead off the inning brought home one run. A ground out brought home the second run.

The Yellowjackets closed out the scoring in the top of the ninth, and again it was Holden doing the damage, singling home Fairbanks to make the final score 10-4.

Holden had a big game at the plate for the Yellowjackets, going 4-for-5 with four runs driven in and two runs scored. Fairbanks had two hits and scored two runs while Soderquist drove in three runs.

Damian Wiblin (La Crosse, Wis./Logan) got the start for the Yellowjackets and earned the win to improve to 2-1 on the year. He gave up four runs on five hits through six innings. He had one walk to go along with six strikeouts. Graham Miller (Cumberland, Wis./Cumberland) pitched the final three innings, giving up two hits and striking out two to earn his first save of the season.

Neil Herbert led the offense for Oshkosh with two hits. Chaz Mohr was credited with the loss on the mound, falling to 0-1 on the season.

The Yellowjackets (9-6, 1-3 WIAC) have a quick turnaround as they will take on UW-Stout in a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 9. The game, originally scheduled for the Blue Devils' Johnson Field has been moved to unplayable field conditions. The games will now be played at the Woodside Sports Complex in Mauston, Wis. beginning at 1:00 p.m.

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Yellowjackets salvage split with Titans