TOPEKA, Kan. – Sunday morning the Yellowjacket baseball team and Grinnell squared off for their second doubleheader in as many days. Grinnell took both contests Saturday, but the Yellowjackets and Pioneers split a pair of high scoring affairs Sunday.
 
For the day the teams combined for 47 runs and 52 hits, with the Yellowjackets (2-4) taking the first game and Grinnell the second.
 
Game One
After two scoreless innings Grinnell jumped on Yellowjacket starter Elliot Danhoff (Gladstone, Mich./Gladstone), plating four runs to take the early lead.
 
The Yellowjackets answered in the bottom of the inning. Brandon Rolf (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) got things started with an infield single and moved into scoring position with a steal of second. Two hitters later he came around to score on a Bryce Flanagan (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) single, getting the Yellowjackets on the board. Later in the inning a Grinnell throwing error allowed a pair of Yellowjackets to score, cutting the Pioneer lead to one at 4-3.
 
Gunner Johnson (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) came on in relief of Danhoff, but Grinnell didn't slow down, scoring four more runs to move ahead 8-3.
 
In the bottom of the fifth Nick Shea (Pengilly, Minn./Greenway) led off with a single and came around to score on an Alec Rabin (Deerfield, Ill./Deerfield) double. Two hitters later Jake Kissane (Baroda, Mich./Lake Michigan Catholic) walked, and both he and Rabin moved up a base on a wild pitch. Rabin scored on an infield single and Kissane came across on a wild pitch, and the 'Jackets trailed 8-6 after five.
 
Grinnell scored a single run in the top of the sixth, and the Yellowjackets answered that and then some in the bottom of the inning. Cory Albertson (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) started the inning with a single up the middle and went all the way to third on an error. Two hitters later he trotted across the plate as Shea tied the game with a blast over the left field fence.
 
Later in the inning Rabin and Kissane both walked and came around to score on a Mike Rodriguez (Chicago, Ill./Gordon Tech) double, giving the 'Jackets the 10-9 lead.
 
Grinnell tied the game in the top of the seventh, but the Yellowjackets closed it out in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the inning. Albertson started things with a one-out single, and for the second time in the game he was able to trot home courtesy of Shea. The junior hammered a 1-1 pitch over the fence in left-center field, his second round-tripper of the game, giving the Yellowjackets the 12-10 win.
 
Shea went 3-for-4, scored four times and drove in four to pace the Yellowjacket offense. Albertson also had three hits for the Yellowjackets, who had 13 in the game.
 
David Dibble (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper) worked the final two innings for the Yellowjackets and got the win, moving his record to 1-0 for the season.
 
Game Two
The offense kept right on rolling for both teams in the second game, as Grinnell jumped out early. The Pioneers touched up Yellowjacket starter Flanagan for six runs in the top of the first inning to get things going.
 
The Yellowjackets answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. Brandon Rolf (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area) singled with one out and scored when Albertson followed with a double. Three hitters later Albertson scored when Nick Stenoien (Princeton, Minn./Princeton) singled to center field, and the 'Jackets trailed 6-2 after one.
 
Grinnell tacked on another run in the third, but the Yellowjackets again answered, and again it was with the long ball. This time it was Albertson doing the damage, going deep to left field for his first home run of the year, pulling the Yellowjackets to within 7-4.
 
Boone Elkins (Riverside, Calif./Arlington) came on in relief to start the fourth, and he shut the Pioneers down. In the bottom of the inning, his offense gave him the lead. Nick Zezulka (St. Anthony, Minn./St. Anthony Village) hit the fourth home run of the day for the Yellowjackets to lead off the inning. Josh Hukriede (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) followed with a double, and he scored two hitters later when Ben Rhodes (Superior, Wis./Superior Senior) doubled. Rhodes scored to tie the game on a Rolf triple, and then Rolf scored on a ground out, giving the Yellowjackets an 8-7 lead.
 
Grinnell tied the game in the top of the fifth, but again the Yellowjackets had an answer. A pair of walks started the inning, and an infield single and an error put the Yellowjackets back in front at 9-8. A bases loaded walk gave the Yellowjackets a two-run lead, and then an Albertson sacrifice fly gave the Yellowjackets an 11-8 lead after five.
 
The lead didn't last, however, as the Pioneers exploded for six runs in the top of the sixth to move in front 14-11.
 
The Yellowjackets threatened in the bottom of the seventh, but the side was retired with the bases full, and Grinnell gained the Sunday split.
 
In the second game the Yellowjackets pounded out 14 hits. Rolf led the way, going 4-for-4. Rhodes had three hits, and Albertson went 2-for-3, scored twice and drove in four.
 
Flanagan pitched the first three innings and allowed seven earned runs on seven hits. He walked four and struck out three. Elkins was tagged with the loss, falling to 0-1 on the year. He allowed seven runs (two earned) on seven hits to go with one walk and one strikeout. Zach Bennett (Corona, Calif./Santiago) pitched one scoreless inning.
 
Next up for the Yellowjackets is their spring trip to Florida. Their first opponent will be Greenville Saturday, March 14 at 8:00 a.m.