On Sunday afternoon, the Yellowjacket softball team had their doubleheader against UW-Oshkosh, which was being played on the campus of UW-Platteville, postponed for a day due to inclement weather. Despite the wintry mix falling in southern Wisconsin, the Yellowjacket baseball team took the field against UW-Platteville and got both ends of their doubleheader played, resulting in a pair of victories.

Following last weekend's disappointment at Whitewater, the Yellowjackets bounced back this weekend, taking a three-of-four games in the weekend series.

Game 1
Yellowjackets 12, Platteville 5
Box Score

In the opener the Yellowjackets wasted no time getting the scoring started, as senior left fielder Robbie Veith (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) homered to left field to lead off the game. Two hitters later sophomore first baseman TJ Evanson (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville North) did the same, and the Yellowjackets were up 2-0 after one.

Platteville tied things up in the bottom of the third inning. Starter Kyle Gauger (Spooner, Wis./Spooner) retired the first two hitters, but then allowed back-to-back singles. An error put both runners in scoring position and Evan Greco made the Yellowjackets pay, singling up the middle, scoring both runners to tie the game.

The Yellowjackets regained the lead in the top of the fourth inning when Tony Remund (Andover, Minn./Coon Rapids) doubled and came around to score on Tyler Duex (Chippewa Falls, Wis./Chippewa Falls) single and it was 3-2.

Platteville answered, however, as Casey Schroeder and George Jester each had RBI singles in the bottom of the inning, giving the Pioneers their first lead of the game at 4-3.

The Yellowjackets evened the score in the top of the sixth. With two outs, Tom Fairbanks (Brainerd, Minn./Brainerd) hit a ground-rule double and he came around to score two batters later on another RBI single from Duex to even the game.

In the late innings the Yellowjackets blew the game open, scoring runs in each of the final three innings.

Veith gave the Yellowjackets the lead for good when he teed off, hitting his second solo homer of the game with one out in the seventh. Wyatt Soderquist (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) and Evanson then had back-to-back doubles, followed by an RBI single to right field by Fairbanks to make it 7-4.

An inning later Casey Dittel (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. After a bunt moved him into scoring position Veith drove him home with a single up the middle to make it 8-4. In the ninth Fairbanks led off with a single, stole second and went to third on the throw. He scored on Remund's single through the left side. Dittel followed with an RBI double and he came home on a Peter Suska (Sobieski, Minn./Little Falls) single to make it 11-4. The Yellowjackets plated their final run when Evanson drove in Suska.

Platteville added their final run in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI fielder's choice to make the final 12-5.

Nine different Yellowjackets had hits in the game, as collectively they pounded out 18 in the game. Fairbanks led the way, going 4-for-5, scoring twice and driving in a run. Evanson and Veith each went 3-for-5, scored twice and drove in three. Remund and Duex each had two hits.

Jake Lewis (Proctor, Minn./Proctor) got the victory, pitching three-and-a-third innings in relief to improve to 2-2 on the year. He gave up just two hits and no runs after he came on for Gauger, who allowed four earned runs on eight hits with a walk and three strikeouts in four innings. Cody Johnson (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) pitched the final inning and two-thirds.

Jester and Zack Demmon were each 3-for-5 to lead Platteville.

Game 2
Yellowjackets 8, Platteville 7
Box Score

As fast as the start was to the first game for the Yellowjackets, they got off to an even better beginning in the second game, posting six runs and chasing Platteville starter Shane Sosinsky before the end of the inning.

Veith walked and advanced to third on Soderquist's bunt single and the ensuing error on the throw. Veith scored on Evanson's single to left field to make it 1-0. One batter later it went to 4-0 when Jeff Miller (Minneapolis, Minn./Washburn) got around on one and cleared the fence in left center field for his third home run of the season. After an out and a Remund walk, Brady Flaherty (Balsam Lake, Wis./Unity) doubled, scoring Remund. The scoring for the frame closed out when Duex hit a sacrifice fly to center field, plating Flaherty and giving the Yellowjackets a 6-0 edge.

Platteville got a run back, stringing together three singles off Yellowjacket starter Alex Beers (Robbinsdale, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) to start the bottom of the third inning, making it 6-1.

The Yellowjackets answered in the top of the fourth.

Soderquist led off with a single and moved to third on Evanson's single. Soderquist scored on Fairbanks' RBI single and later, Evanson scored on a Remund sacrifice fly, and the lead bulged to 8-1.

In the bottom of the fourth the Pioneers got a pair, with the big blow being a two-run single from Ryan Duva and it was an 8-3 game after four. Platteville scored two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, one on a ground out and another on a Duva single and suddenly the Yellowjacket lead shrunk to three.

Platteville pulled to within two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Demmon led off with a home run, taking an Aaron Martin (Hayward, Wis./Hayward) pitch over the wall in left field to make it 8-6. After a pitching change saw Michael Doescher (Wausau, Wis./Wausau West) take the hill, Platteville pulled to within one. With two on and two out Schroeder singled to left to make the score 8-7.

The Yellowjackets went down quickly in the top of the eighth, and the Pioneers went scorelss in the bottom of the inning, despite loading the bases. In the ninth the Yellowjackets put a couple of runners on base, but again were unable to scratch out an insurance run.

In the last of the ninth, Doescher set the Pioneers down in order, giving the Yellowjackets the win and earning him his first save.

The Yellowjackets followed up their 18-hit game with 13 more in the nightcap. Soderquist had a team-high three hits, while Evanson, Fairbanks and Flaherty all had two hits each.

On the other side, Platteville pounded out 17 hits, led by Schroeder and Duva who had three each.

Beers got the victory, giving up five runs (four earned) on 11 hits over four-and-two-thirds innings. Martin gave up a run on three hits in an inning-and-a-third, while Doescher also allowed a run on three hits in three innings of work.

The Yellowjackets (10-13, 3-5 WIAC) are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 17 at UW-La Crosse. Game time at North Campus Field is scheduled for 1:00 p.m., weather permitting.