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University of Wisconsin-Superior Athletics

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Wisconsin-Superior
Yellowjackets
Alex Quinones
Jade Jensen

Baseball

Another Day, Another Marathon for Yellowjackets

Head Coach Nick Bursik congratulates Alex Quinones following his home run in the first inning Thursday.
Box Score

Yellowjackets 4, St. Thomas 4 (14 innings)

Thursday's Yellowjacket baseball game with St. Thomas was added to the schedule late, and was set for just one, nine-inning game at Ted Whereatt Field. Apparently one game wasn't enough for the Yellowjackets and Tommies, however, as the teams went to extra innings. A lot of them.

For the second day in a row the Yellowjackets played 14 innings. Yesterday they used a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to Kyle Bellin (Kimberly, Wis./Kimberly) to push across the winning run against UW-Stout. Today they weren't as lucky. Fortunately for them, St. Thomas didn't have the luck either.

Both teams put runners on base in the 14th inning, but neither could break the 4-4 tie and the game was called on account of darkness at the end of the inning.

It almost never got to that point. The Yellowjackets held a 4-1 lead in the ninth, but the Tommies rallied, using a pair of hits, a walk and an error to score three times to even the game.

Yellowjacket starter Richard Vanden Branden (Neenah, Wis./Saint Mary Central) was in control most of the day but the Tommies got to him in the ninth. After recording the first out Vanden Branden allowed a single, then the next hitter reached on an error. After a walk loaded the bases Brady Johnson singled home the second St. Thomas run of the game to make it 4-2. Vanden Branden was lifted for Damian Wiblin (La Crosse, Wis./Logan), but the senior left hander was unable to work out of the inning before the Tommies tied the game.

In the bottom of the ninth Seth Wage (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) led off with a single and was bunted into scoring position. A wild pitch put him on third before Greg Pitts (Chicago, Ill./Mount Carmel) flew out. St. Thomas pitcher Greg Clute then walked both Matt Vold (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) and Alex Quinones (Waterloo, Iowa) to load the bases, but he pitched his way out of trouble to go to extra innings.

The Yellowjackets jumped out to the lead in the game early. With one out in the top of the first Quinones drove a pitch over the fence in left center field for his fourth home run of the season to stake the Yellowjackets to the 2-0 lead.

St. Thomas got a run back in the top of the second when Keller Knoll hit a long home run over the left field fence to make it 2-1.

The Yellowjackets got the two-run lead back in the bottom of the sixth when Brady Flaherty (Balsam Lake, Wis./Unity) led off the inning with a towering home run to left to make the score 3-1. For Flaherty it was his fourth home run of the season, tying him for the team lead with Quinones.

It went to 4-1 in the bottom of the seventh. Alex Petroski (Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon) led off with a double to the gap in left center field. He went to third on a Pitts sacrifice, then scored on a wild pitch.

St. Thomas had the better of the opportunities in extra innings, getting multiple runners on base in the 11th, 13th, and 14th innings, but never pulled ahead. The best opportunity for the Yellowjackets to win the game came in the 12th when Quinones advanced as far as third base, but pinch hitter Nik Mattson (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) couldn't push the run across and the rally stalled.

As the game wore on things grew more contentious between the two teams, with jeers and barbs coming seemingly with every pitch. Eventually the umpires warned both teams that further interactions could result in ejections, but cooler heads prevailed and both teams finished the four hour, eight minute marathon with their full roster intact.

Quinones and Sam Holden (Spooner, Wis./Spooner) led the way for the Yellowjackets, each doing 3-for-6 in the game. The Yellowjackets had 11 hits in the game.

St. Thomas had 10 hits, led by Zach Gottfredsen and Cory Quinlan who had two apiece.

Vanden Branden went 8.1 innings for the Yellowjackets, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits. He walked four and struck out two. Wiblin pitched the remainder of the game and allowed just one hit in 5.2 innings, but he walked six. Wiblin also struck out 10.

St. Thomas used five different pitchers in the game.

In total, the Yellowjackets and Tommies combined to throw 458 pitches in the contest.

The Yellowjackets 6-29-1, 2-18 WIAC) will close out the 2015 season with a home series this weekend against UW-Stevens Point. Doubleheaders will be played at Ted Whereatt Field both Saturday and Sunday, with the first pitch each day scheduled for 12:00 p.m. All four games will be streamed live through UW-Superior's online content provider, the iFan Sports Network.

 
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Players Mentioned

Kyle Bellin

#5 Kyle Bellin

IF
5' 10"
Sophomore
R/R
Brady Flaherty

#10 Brady Flaherty

C
6' 4"
Senior
R/R
Sam Holden

#25 Sam Holden

IF
6' 0"
Senior
R/R
Nik Mattson

#13 Nik Mattson

C/OF
5' 9"
Sophomore
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
Richard Vanden Branden

#4 Richard Vanden Branden

P
6' 1"
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
Greg Pitts

#11 Greg Pitts

OF
6' 0"
Freshman
R/R

Players Mentioned

Kyle Bellin

#5 Kyle Bellin

5' 10"
Sophomore
R/R
IF
Brady Flaherty

#10 Brady Flaherty

6' 4"
Senior
R/R
C
Sam Holden

#25 Sam Holden

6' 0"
Senior
R/R
IF
Nik Mattson

#13 Nik Mattson

5' 9"
Sophomore
R/R
C/OF
Alex Petroski

#21 Alex Petroski

5' 9"
Senior
R/R
SS
Alex Quinones

#24 Alex Quinones

5' 11"
Senior
R/R
C/3B
Richard Vanden Branden

#4 Richard Vanden Branden

6' 1"
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
Greg Pitts

#11 Greg Pitts

6' 0"
Freshman
R/R
OF