Soderqvist pitches two solid innings, but unavailable on Tuesday

Published 5:54 pm Monday, August 18, 2008

Mill Creek’s Joakim Soderqvist, who didn’t play baseball until he came to U.S. from Sweden in the third grade, struck out six in two scoreless innings of work against Hagerstown Monday, before being pulled with an apparent sore elbow.

“He throws hard,” Mill Creek manager Scott Mahlum said. “He has a great fastball, great curveball, knuckleball. He’s got phenomenal stuff. He’s right there with Jason (Todd) as one of the hardest throwers on the team.”

Soderqvist threw 45 pitches and is ineligible to throw Tuesday because he went over 20 pitches, Mahlum said. Soderqvist has had shoulder problems this year and that’s why he only pitched two-thirds of an inning at regionals.

“It’s something we’re very protective of, that’s why he hasn’t thrown a ton yet,” Mahlum said before the Little League World Series started.