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Wisconsin-Superior
Yellowjackets
Brady Flaherty
Jade Jensen

Baseball

Yellowjackets Drop Two at Whitewater

Catcher Brady Flaherty homered in the second game Thursday against UW-Whitewater.
Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The early stages of the 2015 season have been tough on the Yellowjacket baseball team. After a rocky start the team struggled in Arizona, before returning home and falling to St. Scholastica at Wade Stadium last week, the first game the Yellowjackets have played in the Twin Ports since 2012. Things don't get easier, as the Yellowjackets learned Thursday. With the long bus trip a thing of the past, the Yellowjackets took the field Thursday afternoon against for their WIAC opener against the defending national champions from UW-Whitewater. The Warhawks, who were picked to win the conference in the pre-season poll, played every bit like favorites Thursday, taking two games from the Yellowjackets in Whitewater.

Whitewater 9, Yellowjackets 1

Things got the start they wanted in the first game of the day, jumping out to an early lead before the Warhawks pushed ahead and ultimately dispatched the Yellowjackets in convincing fashion.

With two outs in the top of the first inning, Alex Quinones (Waterloo, Iowa) gave the Yellowjackets the 1-0 lead, slugging a pitch the opposite way over the fence in right field for his second home run of the season.

The Warhawks didn't let the Yellowjackets enjoy the lead for long, however. In the bottom of the first they scored twice, taking the lead for good at 2-1.

Things stayed that way and in the bottom of the fifth the Yellowjackets mounted a threat. With one out Derek Cagle (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) singled up the middle and went to second on a ground out. Alex Petroski (Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon) then stroked a two-out single to left field, putting runners on the corners. The Warhawks extinguished the threat, however, and left the tying run stranded at third base.

Whitewater scored single runs in each of the fifth and seventh innings, before blowing things open with a five run eighth inning. The Warhawks started the bottom of the eighth with three straight singles to push their first run across. Later in the inning Mikole Pierce sent a pitch over the fence in right field, and when the dust settled the Yellowjackets found themselves in a world of hurt, trailing 9-1.

Quinones reached on an error to start the inning, but Whitewater buckled down and put the Yellowjackets away to earn the victory in the first game of the day.

Cagle led the Yellowjackets offensively, going 2-for-3 in the game. Quinones, Petroski, and Sam Holden (Spooner, Wis./Spooner) also had hits for the Yellowjackets, who were out-hit in the game 16-5.

Damian Wiblin (La Crosse, Wis./Logan) got the start for the Yellowjackets and had a solid outing going before things unraveled in the eighth inning. He allowed seven runs (six earned) on 13 hits over seven-plus innings, striking out five. He falls to 1-2 on the year. Trevor Stone (Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) came on in relief and gave up two runs on three hits in the inning he worked.

Pierce, Casey Power and Mike Mierow all had three hits to pace the Whitewater attack.

Whitewater 7, Yellowjackets 2

For the second game in a row the Yellowjackets got off to the start that they wanted, but in the end Whitewater just proved to be too much and they cruised to a 7-2 win.

And for the second game in a row, the Yellowjackets opened the scoring using the long ball. This time it was Brady Flaherty (Balsam Lake, Wis./Unity) doing the damage. Seth Wage (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) set the table with a one-out walk, and Flaherty brought him home, send a ball the opposite way down the right field line and over the fence to give the Yellowjackets the early 2-0 lead.

The offense dried up after that for the Yellowjackets, and in the bottom of the fourth the Warhawks took the lead. With runners on second and third Power singled up the middle, bringing both runners home tying the game. Power then scored the go-ahead run on another single and it was 3-2 Warhawks through four.

Whitewater got two more runs in the the bottom of the sixth on a two-run homer from Pierce. Then in the seventh the Warhawks manufactured a pair of runs to push the final margin to 7-2.

Flaherty and Matt Vold (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) each had two hits for the Yellowjackets, who had six hits in the game. Whitewater, meanwhile, got two hits each from Power, Pierce, and Steve Chamberlain.

Grant Schneider (Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial) started on the mound for the Yellowjackets and took the loss, dropping to 0-3 on the year. He gave up five earned runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings. Christian Hall (Siren, Wis./Siren) came on in relief and was wild, walking a pair of runners and giving up two runs in 1.2 innings. Riley Grandson (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East) pitched the final inning for the Yellowjackets.

The Yellowjackets (3-11, 0-2 WIAC) and UW-Whitewater will play another doubleheader Friday, April 3 at the Warhawks' Prucha Field. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m.
 
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Players Mentioned

Derek Cagle

#6 Derek Cagle

OF
6' 0"
Senior
R/R
Brady Flaherty

#10 Brady Flaherty

C
6' 4"
Senior
R/R
Riley Grandson

#27 Riley Grandson

P
5' 11"
Senior
L/L
Christian Hall

#3 Christian Hall

P
6' 1"
Senior
R/R
Sam Holden

#25 Sam Holden

IF
6' 0"
Senior
R/R
Alex Petroski

#21 Alex Petroski

SS
5' 9"
Senior
R/R
Alex Quinones

#24 Alex Quinones

C/3B
5' 11"
Senior
R/R
Grant Schneider

#26 Grant Schneider

P
6' 2"
Sophomore
R/R
Trevor Stone

#15 Trevor Stone

P
5' 11"
Sophomore
R/R
Matt Vold

#23 Matt Vold

IF
6' 0"
Senior
R/R
Seth Wage

#32 Seth Wage

OF
5' 10"
Junior
R/L
Damian Wiblin

#9 Damian Wiblin

P
6' 1"
Senior
L/L

Players Mentioned

Derek Cagle

#6 Derek Cagle

6' 0"
Senior
R/R
OF
Brady Flaherty

#10 Brady Flaherty

6' 4"
Senior
R/R
C
Riley Grandson

#27 Riley Grandson

5' 11"
Senior
L/L
P
Christian Hall

#3 Christian Hall

6' 1"
Senior
R/R
P
Sam Holden

#25 Sam Holden

6' 0"
Senior
R/R
IF
Alex Petroski

#21 Alex Petroski

5' 9"
Senior
R/R
SS
Alex Quinones

#24 Alex Quinones

5' 11"
Senior
R/R
C/3B
Grant Schneider

#26 Grant Schneider

6' 2"
Sophomore
R/R
P
Trevor Stone

#15 Trevor Stone

5' 11"
Sophomore
R/R
P
Matt Vold

#23 Matt Vold

6' 0"
Senior
R/R
IF
Seth Wage

#32 Seth Wage

5' 10"
Junior
R/L
OF
Damian Wiblin

#9 Damian Wiblin

6' 1"
Senior
L/L
P