Four-run outburst gives CHS win

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- New Ulm Cathedral erased a 1-0 Buffalo Lake-Hector lead in the fourth inning with a four-run outburst and then added two more runs in the fifth to coast to a 7-1 win over the Mustangs Tuesday afternoon at Mueller Park.

Josh Sabatino went the distance for the Greyhounds, striking out 10 and allowing just two hits -- both by the Mustangs' Kyle Bruns in getting the win.

Nick Schultz took the loss for the Mustangs, allowing six runs and seven hits in his five innings of work.

Andy Boyle had a two-hit game for the Greyhounds while Scott Knisley drove in three runs with an inside-the-park home run.

"It was a nice first outing for Josh," Cathedral coach Bob Weier said. "But he has done a lot of work in the winter to get his arm in shape. He was ready to go. We charted him for about 75 pitches today; he was not laboring at all."

"I started throwing around Christmas time," Sabatino said, who set down the first nine Mustangs -- five on strikeouts -- that he faced in the game. "That helped a lot."

The only time that the Mustangs found a chip in Sabatino's armor was in the fourth inning when he walked Luke Frederickson to start the inning.

Frederickson stole second and went to third on a throwing error by Cathedral catcher Kyle Reinarts prior to Nick Schultz coaxing the second walk of the inning. Bruns collected the first of his two hits in the game with an RBI single to center for a 1-0 lead.

"I think that I lost focus -- I started thinking and normally if I just do what comes naturally, everything goes for me," Sabatino said. "Things fell apart for a little bit."

But after that, the righthander regained his domination, setting down eight straight hitters before allowing two BLH runnners to reach base in the seventh. He then set down the next three hitters to end the game.

"He had that one bad inning but got stronger," Weier said.

As did the Cathedral hitting which was shut down through the first three innnigs by Schultz. But in the bottom of the fourth, the Greyhounds' bats woke up.

Consecutive singles by Boyle and Adam Neubauer set the stage for Knisley who drove a Schultz offering to right field. Mustang right fielder Brett Witter lost the ball in the sun and it rolled all the way to the fence in right, allowing Boyle, Neubauer and Knisley to circle the bases for a 3-1 Cathedral lead.

Reinarts followed with a walk and promptly stole second and reached third on an ensuing throwing error. He trotted home on Tyler Zollner's single to center.

"We did a nice job hitting the ball the second time through the line-up," Weier said. "I think that maybe the run that they scored maybe woke us up -- we responded nicely."

The Greyhounds plated two more runs in the fifth. Boyle singled with one out and went to second on a Neubauer groundout. He scored when BLH second baseman Joe Sparks misplayed his groundball. Reinarts walked before Sabatino helped his own cause with an RBI single to left for a 6-1 cushion.

Cathedral then closed out their scoring in the bottom of the sixth when reliver Jordan Kramer walked the first three hitters he faced and Neubauer grounded out to second.

"We made some nice plays on defense today and we hit the ball well -- we had six players with hits in the game," Weier said. "I think that we did a nice job."

BLH 000 100 0 -- 1 2 3

CATHEDRAL 000 421 X -- 7 7 1

WP: Sabatino. LP: Schultz. HR: Knisley (CHS).