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Taipale Home Run
Jade Jensen

Softball

Yellowjackets Drop Finale

The Yellowjackets celebrate Ciarra Taipale's seventh-inning home run Monday agianst Stout.
Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Monday was a picture-perfect day in Superior, with the Yellowjacket softball team sqauring off in a doubleheader with UW-Stout to close out the 2015 season. The Yellowjackets suffered through a difficult conference season, and were hoping for a positive ending to the trying campaign. The Blue Devils had other ideas, taking both ends of the doubleheader and pushing the Yellowjackets under .500 for the season.

Stout 10, Yellowjackets 3

The weather appealed to the bats of both teams in the early going, as each team got on the board in the first.

Stout started the game with a pair of one-out singles. With two on and two out, Rachel Thomas tripled to right field, scoring both and giving the Blue Devils the 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the inning Shelby Gerken (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo) singled with one out and she came around to score on a triple from Kristen Haider (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato), cutting the Stout lead in half. The Yellowjackets tied the game when Shelly Misco (Appleton, Wis./Appleton North) reached on an error, bringing home Haider.

Stout regained the lead in the top of the second when a run scored on a passed ball, and added a fourth run in the top of the third when a run scored on an error. It went to 5-2 in the top of the fifth on an RBI double from Taylor Workman.

The Yellowjackets pulled back to within two at 5-3 in the bottom of the fifth. With one out Brittany Thomfohrda (Cushing, Wis./Unity) doubled to left field and two hitters later she went to third on a fielder's choice, and then an error allowed her to score on the play.

That was as close as the Yellowjackets would get in the game and the Blue Devils pulled away late. In the seventh the strung together five hits and scored five times, to move ahead 10-3.

But the Yellowjackets weren't going down without a fight. In the bottom of the seventh they coaxed back-to-back walks, but were unable to bring the runners home and Stout earned the win.

Haider has been on fire of late and that continued in the first game, as she went 2-for-3, scored a run and drove in a run. Nicole Weigman (White Bear Lake, Minn.) also had two hits for the Yellowjackets, who had six in the game.

Sarah Hendrickson (Duluth, Minn./Denfeld), who was knocked out of Sunday's doubleheader in the third inning after taking a line drive off the leg, shook off the effects of the injury and got the start for the Yellowjackets. She allowed 10 runs (seven earned) on 11 hits in 6.1 innings. She walked two and struck out two. Ciarra Taipale (Duluth, Minn.) recorded the final outs of the game for the Yellowjackets.

Thomas went 3-for-3, scored a run and drove in two to lead the Blue Devils. Tori Workman won her tenth game of the season in the cirlce for Stout.

Stout 5, Yellowjackets 4 (9 innings)

The second game of the afternoon provided a little more entertainment and a lot more drama, but again it was the Blue Devils emerging victorious, as they edged the Yellowjackets 4-3 in extra innings.

After a scoreless first inning Stout got on the board in the top of the second, manufacturing an unearned run on two hits, an error, and a walk to take the 1-0 lead. It could have been worse for the Yellowjackets, but starter Katie White (Pequot Lakes, Minn./Peguot Lakes) worked out of trouble and left the bases loaded in the frame.

The Yellowjackets got even in the bottom of the inning. Megan Nelson (Carlton, Minn./Carlton) led off with a single and advanced to second on a fly out. A passed ball moved her to third and an error allowed her to score to tie the game at 1-1.

Stout scored single runs in third to go up 2-1, but the Yellowjackets would tie it in the bottom of the inning on an RBI-single to right field by Thomfohrda.

The Blue Devils again regained the lead, scoring single runs in the fourth and sixth innings go back up by two runs, 4-2.

After the Yellowjackets went scoreless in the bottom of the sixth and the Blue Devils followed suit in the seventh, the Yellowjackets employed some last-second heroics to once again tie the game.

Facing their final inning of the season the Yellowjackets got the rally started with one out. Kari Shipman (Frazee, Minn.) doubled to left field and Yellowjacket Head Coach Roger Plachta went to his bench, pinch hitting Taipale for Sasha Fjeran (Two Harbors, Minn./Two Harbors). The longtime Yellowjacket skipper looked like a genius, as Taipale blasted her third home run of the year, tying the score 4-4. Stout retired the final two hitters of the inning, but the damage had been done and the teams headed for extra innings.

Stout threatened in the eighth, but White worked out of it and stranded two runners. In the ninth Thomas led off with a double and then stole third. She came home with the go-ahead run on a double by Amber Herrick, making it 4-3.

In the bottom of the ninth the Yellowjackets got a leadoff walk from Whitney Brugman (Marquette, Mich./Marquette), but they couldn't move her past first base and they dropped the season finale.

The Yellowjackets got seven hits from seven different players in the game.

White was a workhorse on the pitching rubber over the weekend, and went distance in this one, giving up five runs (four earned) on 12 hits in nine innings. She struck out one.

Thomas led the way at the plate for Stout in the second game, pounding out four hits.

The Yellowjackets close out the season 16-18 overall and 2-14 in WIAC play. Monday's game was the final in the careers of four Yellowjacket seniors - Kristen Haider (Dassel, Minn./Dassel-Cokato), Megan Nelson (Carlton, Minn./Carlton), Whitney Brugman (Marquette, Mich./Marquette), and Sally Linzmeier (Valders, Wis./Valders).
 
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Players Mentioned

Whitney Brugman

#33 Whitney Brugman

IF
5' 6"
Senior
R/R
Sasha Fjeran

#24 Sasha Fjeran

C/OF
5' 4"
Junior
R/R
Shelby Gerken

#25 Shelby Gerken

IF
5' 7"
Sophomore
L/L
Kristen Haider

#7 Kristen Haider

IF
5' 4"
Senior
R/R
Sarah Hendrickson

#21 Sarah Hendrickson

P/IF
5' 2"
Sophomore
R/R
Sally Linzmeier

#3 Sally Linzmeier

OF
5' 7"
Junior
R/R
Shelly Misco

#14 Shelly Misco

IF
5' 7"
Junior
R/R
Megan Nelson

#13 Megan Nelson

IF
5' 7"
Junior
R/R
Brittany Thomfohrda

#18 Brittany Thomfohrda

OF
5' 9"
Junior
R/R
Kari Shipman

#2 Kari Shipman

OF
5' 6"
Junior
Ciarra Stavang

#9 Ciarra Stavang

OF
5' 7"
Freshman
Katie White

#5 Katie White

IF
5' 9"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Whitney Brugman

#33 Whitney Brugman

5' 6"
Senior
R/R
IF
Sasha Fjeran

#24 Sasha Fjeran

5' 4"
Junior
R/R
C/OF
Shelby Gerken

#25 Shelby Gerken

5' 7"
Sophomore
L/L
IF
Kristen Haider

#7 Kristen Haider

5' 4"
Senior
R/R
IF
Sarah Hendrickson

#21 Sarah Hendrickson

5' 2"
Sophomore
R/R
P/IF
Sally Linzmeier

#3 Sally Linzmeier

5' 7"
Junior
R/R
OF
Shelly Misco

#14 Shelly Misco

5' 7"
Junior
R/R
IF
Megan Nelson

#13 Megan Nelson

5' 7"
Junior
R/R
IF
Brittany Thomfohrda

#18 Brittany Thomfohrda

5' 9"
Junior
R/R
OF
Kari Shipman

#2 Kari Shipman

5' 6"
Junior
OF
Ciarra Stavang

#9 Ciarra Stavang

5' 7"
Freshman
OF
Katie White

#5 Katie White

5' 9"
Freshman
IF