On a hot and overcast Arizona afternoon the Yellowjackets were able to celebrate an extra innings, walk-off win against Gustavus Adolphus College from Saint Peter, Minn. Senior Robbie Veith (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) hit a sharp ball to score the winning run, giving the Yellowjackets their fifth victory of the season.

Yellowjackets 7, Gustavus 6 – 10 innings
Box Score

Gustavus would start the scoring during the top of the third after Christopher Kelly hit a triple off Yellowjacket starting pitcher Alex Beers (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong). Kelly would come around to score on a Yellowjacket error, giving Gustavus an early 1-0 lead.

Jeff Miller (Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) would help the Yellowjackets answer back immediately in the third, hitting a two-run double to score Wyatt Soderquist (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) and TJ Evanson (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North). Designated hitter Jordan Koepp (Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids) would help add another run, hitting a single up-the-middle to score Miller and give the Yellowjackets a 3-1 lead.

Evanson would extend the Yellowjackets lead in the fifth, hitting a blast over the left field fence for a home run, his fourth of the year.

Beers would make easy work of the Gustavus hitters until the eighth inning when the Gusties would take advantage of a defensive miscue and tie the game, 4-4. With runners on first and second, Max Fidler hit a ball into the right-center field gap for Gustavus and a misplay by Yellowjacket Tom Fairbanks (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) allowed both runs to score and to give Fidler a two-run triple. Beers would get himself out of the inning but not until the damage was done.

The Yellowjackets were retired easily in the eighth and the fear of letting another game potentially slip away became visible.

Gustavus would open the ninth with a leadoff single and a fielding error by Beers on a sacrifice bunt would put the go-ahead run in scoring position. Drew Block would hit a foul sacrifice fly down the right field line that would score the runner to give Gustavus  a 5-4 lead. Cody Johnson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) was then summoned from the bullpen and got the final out of the inning.

But the Yellowjackets never lost hope and tied the game on a double by Soderquist that scored pinch runner Weston Smith (Sioux Falls, S.D./Roosevelt) to even the game.  The run would send the game to extra innings, the second time in the past week a Yellowjacket game would be decided in extra frames.

Johnson would walk the leadoff batter in the top of the tenth and with two successful sacrifices Gustavus would take another one-run lead  with hopes of finally sinking the Yellowjackets.

But today was different - the Yellowjackets weren't about to let another game slip through their hands.

Fairbanks would redeem himself, making up for his defensive miscue by hitting a towering home run to deep right field off of Gustavus reliever Dan Venn to tie the game again. After Venn hit pinch hitter Shawn Lanners (Buckman, Minn./Royalton) and Tony Remund (Andover, Minn./Coon Rapids) drew a walk, Veith smashed a ball hard at the third baseman that deflected off him to center field, bringing pinch runner Peter Suska (Sobieski, Minn./Little Falls) home with the winning run.

Beers completed eight-and-two-thirds innings of work, scattering twelve hits and giving up four earned runs. Johnson was credited the win with an inning-and-third of relief.

Offensively, the Yellowjackets collected 12 hits. Soderquist and Evanson led the way, each recording two hits.

The Yellowjackets (5-7, 0-0 WIAC) will return to action Saturday, March 23 when they play their final game of the spring in Tucson. They will take on California Lutheran University from Thousand Oaks, Calif. First pitch is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. MDT at Kino Sports Complex.