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April 19, 2000
Cathedral tops MVLBy JIM BASTIAN Journal Sports Writer NEW ULM -- For the second straight game, New Ulm Cathedral had the knack of getting their leadoff hitter on base. And for the second straight game it aided in producing a win. In the three innings that the Hounds got their first batter of the inning on, it resulted in five runs as Cathedral topped crosstown rival Minnesota Valley Lutheran 8-1 in Tomahawk Conference baseball at Johnson Park. Aaron Kiecker picked up the mound win for Cathedral (3-1), going the distance and striking out five. He allowed five hits and one run. Bryan Polzin, the first of three pitchers used by the Chargers (2-2), was charged with the loss by giving up four runs in 2 1/3 innings of work. Tom Metzger and Aaron Madson each saw mound action. Kiecker also produced at the plate as he and Jesse Ahlbrecht each had three hits, with Ahlbrecht driving in two runs. Joey Schugel has two hits in four at-bats. No MVL player had more than one hit. "We had a nice combination today where we hit the ball (12 hits) and we executed the bunt to perfection," said CHS head coach Bob Weier. "That is our offense; first-and-third, we execute the double steal, bunting, hit and run and taking advantage of anything that we can. We are happy with the win." "Cathedral hit the ball well and we did not play very well," commented Charger head coach Craig Morgan. "We did not execute like we should; we had (three) errors in that (third) inning that cost us some runs and they got momentum. We have things to work on; we are a better ballclub than we showed here today." Cathedral would score single runs in the first and second innings, again by getting their leadoff hitter on. In the first, Brandon Reinarts walked and stole second. A one-out single by Schugel moved Reinarts to third and a Mike Hall base hit to center scored him. In the second, Kiecker delivered a lead-off triple to centerfield and scored when Ahlbrecht, who had been 1-for-9 before the game, delivered the first of his three hits. Schugel's one-out triple in the third would result in two runs in the inning. Schugel would score when Hall's ground ball to shortstop Madson was thrown by first for a 3-0 lead. Hall, who took second on the error, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored when catcher Pete Costello's throw to third sailed into leftfield. The Chargers would notch a run in the bottom of the inning when Luke Asleson singled, took second on Chris Mielke's groundout and went to third on a wild pitch. Danny Liggett drove Asleson home with a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 4-1. MVL would mount scoring threats in both the fourth and fifth innings. In the fourth, John Enter singled and stole second. Madson reached on an error by Schugel at shortstop and Costello drew a one-out walk to load the bases. But Jeremiah Kramer grounded into a pitcher to home-to-first double play to end the inning. In the fifth, Asleson drew a lead-off walk but was promptly picked off first by Kiecker, his second pick-off of an MVL runner in the game. "That is really a weapon for us," said Weier, speaking of Kiecker's pick-offs. "Those are mistakes that we cannot let happen to us," Morgan said. Cathedral would score three additional runs in the sixth inning on consecutive singles by Kiecker and Ahlbrecht and a Jacob Mertz infield hit that loaded the bases. Hans Biebl's bunt single scored Kiecker and a Reinarts' sacrifice fly plated Ahlbrecht. Mertz trotted home on a delayed double steal, the third successful double steal in the last two games for Cathedral. A two-out Kiecker single and a double by Ahlbrecht accounted for the final Hound run. "In the win over Springfield; that was a peak." Morgan commented. "This was a valley." CHS 112 003 1 -- 8 12 2 MVL 001 000 0 -- 1 5 3 WP--Kiecker, LP--Polzin. 2B--Ahlbrecht (CHS). 3B--Kiecker (CHS), Schugel (CHS).
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