Yellowjackets 11, California Lutheran 8
Box Score

As the Yellowjacket baseball team closed out their spring trip in Arizona, the weather wasn't the only thing that was heating up.

A team expected to score runs did just that in the finale of their journey to the Grand Canyon State, in picking up arguably their most impressive win of the young season. California Lutheran enterd Saturday's tilt as the No. 11 team in the nation according to the American Baseball Coaches Association, but on this day it was the Yellowjackets coming out on top, riding a big first inning to an 11-8 victory.

The Yellowjackets jumped on California Lutheran starter Tyler Hebda, gouging him for eight runs and not letting him get out of the first inning. The tone was set when leadoff man Robbie Veith (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) reached on an error. Wyatt Soderquist (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) walked and TJ Evanson (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) also reached on an error to load the bases. Jeff Miller (Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) followed with a ground out, scoring Veith to make it 1-0.

From there the Yellowjackets pounded out four straight singles - by Tom Fairbanks (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd), Shawn Lanners (Buckman, Minn./Royalton), Sam Holden (Spooner, Wis./Spooner) and Casey Dittel (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) to stretch the lead to 5-0. An RBI ground out followed by run scoring hits from Veith and Soderquist stretched the lead to 8-0 and spelled the end of the day for Hebda. Reliever Matt Johnston induced a flyout from Evanson to end the first inning.

All eight runs were unearned in the inning, as the Kingsmen committed three errors in the frame.

California Lutheran broke through and scored a single run in the top of the second and then tacked on four more in the third inning, chasing Yellowjacket starter Kyle Gauger (Spooner, Wis./Spooner) in the process. Nicho DellaValle, Trevor Koons, Nick Boggan and Nick DeLorenzo had consecutive singles in the inning to start the rally. An error and hit batsman later in the inning pulled the Kingsmen to within three at 8-5.

The Yellowjackets continued scoring in the bottom of the third, however, and got three of the runs back.

Dittel and Alex Petroski (Park Falls, Wis./Chequamegon) knocked out back-to-back singles to start the inning. Dittel scored on a Soderquist ground out and Petroski trotted in when Evanson blasted his fifth homer of the season over the left field wall to make it an 11-5 game.

In the top of the fourth DeLorenzo had an RBI-fielder's choice to make it 11-6. An inning later DellaValle had a two-run double to close out the scoring at 11-8.

From there, the relievers settled in and pitched zeroes. Lefty Dan Genrich (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) was strong for the Yellowjackets, controlling his pitches and not giving the Kingsmen anything after the fifth inning. There was a mild threat in the eighth inning, but Genrich pitched his way out of it. Genrich would earn his first win of the season, pitching six-and-two-thirds innings, giving up three runs (one earned) on three hits. He walked three and struck out six.

On the other side, Morgan Garcia-Grisham shut down the Yellowjackets, not allowing a run and surrendering just two hits after he entered the game in the third inning. He didn't walk a batter and had six strikeouts. Hebda was tagged with the loss, pitching just two-thirds of an inning and allowing eight runs (zero earned) on six hits.

All nine starters had at least one hit for the Yellowjackets, led by Dittel who went 3-for4. Holden also had a pair of hits. Veith, Evanson and Dittel each scored a pair of runs and Evanson drove in three to pace the Yellowjacket offense.

Koons was 3-for-3 with a walk and scored twice to lead California Lutheran, who also got two RBI each from DeLorenzo, DellaValle and Casciola.

The Yellowjackets (6-7, 0-0 WIAC) will return home and will be back in action on Thursday, March 28 when they take on Saint Mary's University out of Winona, Minn. at the Metrodome. The first pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. It is the final non-conference action of the season for the Yellowjackets, who will be in WIAC play beginning on Saturday, April 6.