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Wyatt Soderquist
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Baseball

Whitewater takes two from Yellowjackets

Wyatt Soderquist had a big day at the plate on Saturday at Whitewater.
Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Yellowjacket baseball team entered play on Saturday knowing that it needed to win games and get a little bit of help along the way in order to qualify for the WIAC playoffs. Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan. The Yellowjackets dropped a pair of games and, coupled with a Stevens Point sweep of UW-Stout, will once again be on the outside looking in on the WIAC post-season.

Whitewater 15, Yellowjackets 5 (8 innings)

UW-Whitewater scored in bunches in the first game on Saturday, and quickly put contest out of reach to get the win.

After a scoreless first inning the Warhawks pulled ahead in the top of the second. Jared Fon drove in two runs with a double down the left field line and when the inning was over Whitewater led 4-0.

The Yellowjackets answered in the bottom of the inning, scoring four runs of their own.

After the first two hitters struck out Suguru Homma (Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan/Nihon University Yamagata) singled and Jordan Koepp (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) followed suit. With two on Derek Cagle (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) singled to score Homma and get the Yellowjackets on the board. Wyatt Soderquist (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) then came to the plate and drove a double to right center field, scoring two runs and pulling the Yellowjackets to within one. Matt Vold (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) then singled up the middle to bring home Soderquist and the game was tied after two innings.

Whitewater wasted little time breaking that tie, however, scoring four more times in the top of the third inning. Paced by a Nick Kuhlmann two-run single, the Warhawks moved ahead 8-4.

The Yellowjackets again had an answer. In the bottom of the third Alex Quinones (Waterloo, Iowa/) singled home a run to make it an 8-5 game after three innings.

That is as close as the Yellowjackets would get.

UW-Whitewater scored twice in the top of the fourth, three times in the top of the fifth and stretched the lead to double digits in the top of the eighth with a pair of runs. Mikole Pierce and Michael Gonzalez drove in three of those runs with home runs. The Yellowjackets, meanwhile, weren't able to get more than one man on base following their run in the third, never threatening to get back in the game.

The Yellowjackets had 11 hits in the game, led by Soderquist and Homma who had two each. On the other side Whitewater had 15 hits.

Alex Beers (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) got the start for the Yellowjackets and endured his roughest outing of the season. The senior righty lasted 3.1 innins and gave up 10 runs and 10 hits. He walked two and struck out two before yielding to Jake Lewis (Proctor, Minn./Proctor) who went the rest of the way.

Whitewater 11, Yellowjackets 9

The Yellowjackets had a little more success pushing runs across the plate in the second game of the day, unfortunately the result was the same and the Yellowjackets were swept in Saturday's doubleheader.

In the bottom of the first the Yellowjackets grabbed an early lead. Soderquist walked and Vold followed with a single up the middle. After a wild pitch put Soderquist on third Tom Fairbanks (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) brought him home with a single to put the Yellowjackets ahead. After two hitters were retired a wild pitch put both Vold and Fairbanks in scoring position and Quinones got the job done, scoring both with a triple to the gap in right center and the Yellowjackets were up 3-0.

The lead didn't last long. In the top of the second three of the first four hitters doubled, producing a pair of runs. Later in the inning Fon singled, scoring two and the Warhawks jumped ahead 4-3.

Sam Holden (Spooner, Wis./Spooner) doubled to lead off the bottom of the third inning. He would score the tying run when the next hitter, Tony Remund (Andover, Minn./Coon Rapids), singled.

Whitewater broke the tie with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the inning the Yellowjackets scored three times to regain the lead.

Holden again got it started with a double. Two hitters later Quinones walked. A wild pitch moved Holden to third and he would score on an error to pull the Yellowjackets to within one. After an out Cagle walked to load the bases. Whitewater made a pitching change, but it didn't matter as Soderquist singled to bring home two runs and give the Yellowjackets a 7-6 edge.

Once again Whitewater had the answer. In the top of the sixth the scored four times, with three runs coming home on a Casey Power triple and the Warhawks led 10-7.

The Yellowjackets manufactured a run in the bottom of the sixth. Fairbanks led off with a single and moved to third when the next two hitters walked. Whitewater changed pitchers before Quinones came to the plate, and he flew out to get the RBI as Fairbanks scored to again pull the Yellowjackets to within two.

Whitewater added a run in the top of the seventh. The Yellowjackets did the same in the bottom of the inning. Soderquist started the rally with a one-out triple and he scored on a single by Vold and it was 11-9 after seven.

The Yellowjackets went down quietly in the eighth and ninth innings and the Warhawks earned the win.

The second game of the day was a big game for Soderquist. He went 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two. Fairbanks had three hits and Holden two. The Yellowjackets pounded out 14 hits in the game, while Whitewater had 16.

Graham Miller (Cumberland, Wis./Cumberland) started on the mound for the Yellowjackets and pitched seven innings. He allowed 11 runs on 15 hits and struck out two to go along with five walks. Grant Schneider (Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial) pitched the pitched the final two innings and allowed just one hit.

The Yellowjackets (17-16, 8-12 WIAC) will close out the 2014 season on Sunday when they play two more games with UW-Whitewater. The first pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
 
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