Hounds down Sleepy Eye

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Trailing 6-4 in the top of the sixth inning, Sleepy Eye High loaded the bases with no one out off Cathedral reliever John Knisley. But the right-hander got the first two outs via the strikeout and then used a great defensive play by shortstop Joey Schugel to stop the rally.

The Hounds then added four insurance runs in the bottom of the inning and went on to defeat a young Indian team 10-4 Friday afternoon in Tomahawk Conference baseball at Johnson Park.

Knisley, who took over for starter Dusty Wilfahrt in the fourth inning, got the win as he fanned four and allowed three hits. Jacob Deibele, the second of three pitchers used by the Indians, took the loss.

Mitch Palmer led Cathedral with three hits and two RBI. Brandon Reinarts and Joey Penkert each collected two hits.

Cody Walter and Bryce Belseth both had two hits with, Riley Jensen driving in two runs to lead Sleepy Eye.

"I think that this was a big morale booster for John (Knisley)," said Cathedral coach Bob Weier. "He deserved the win; he had a nice fifth inning. The first two batters hit the ball very hard and then he walked a hitter. But then he seemed to get his composure and he really went after the hitters."

Knisley struck out Jensen on a called third strike and then whiffed Marty Hoffmann. He then got perhaps the play of the game from Schugel when Jeremy Ibberson laced a hard ground ball toward the hole. Schugel backhanded the ball and threw to third for a force out to end the inning.

'Momentum changed there," commented Weier. "We had the lead; it looked like we were going to lose it but then we shut them down and came back and scored."

Indian coach Bruce Belseth, who saw his team drop to 1-3 on the year, also felt that the sixth inning was a big factor in the game.

"We had been very competitive through five innings and if we get a clutch hit in that (sixth) inning, it is a different ballgame," he said. "But I am proud of the kids, we will be alright."

After Sleepy Eye failed to score in that sixth inning, Cathedral broke the game open in the bottom of the inning.

Reinarts walked and Joey Penkert doubled. Knisley then helped his own cause with an infield single that scored Reinarts, and Mitch Palmer's third hit of the game brought in Penkert for an 8-4 lead. A wild pitch and a fielder's choice closed out Cathedral's scoring.

Both teams lit up the scoreboard in the first inning with runs. The Indians scored twice when Deibele walked and Walter singled. An error by Wilfahrt loaded the bases before Jensen lined a double down the right field line for a 2-0 lead.

But the Hounds came back with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Wilfahrt walked and went to second on a Hans Biebl sacrifice bunt. Reinarts' infield single loaded the bases with one out before Indian starter Josh Hadley walked Penkert to force in Wilfahrt. He then issued a four-pitch free pass to Kyle Helget, and one out later, he walked Mitch Palmer for the third Cathedral run.

The Indians tied the game in the second on Belseth's RBI single, but Cathedral retook the lead with two runs in the bottom of the third aided by two big Sleepy Eye errors. Palmer and Corey Schnobrich singled with one out and a Wilfahrt base hit loaded the bases. A dropped throw by Indian second baseman Nick Windschitl and a potential double play ball went under Belseth's glove at short to plated those two runs.

Sleepy Eye used a B.J. Sprenger double, a ground out and a passed ball to slice the lead to 5-4.

Cathedral regained that two run lead in the same inning when Kyle Helget, who had singled, scored on a Palmer base hit.

Weier was again very pleased by Knisley's performance, something that will be important to the season of the Hounds.

"He did not let some errors bother him," commented Weier. "He went after the hitters. Again, he deserved the win with his performance."

The Greyhound B-squad (2-0) won 16-6 in six innings, overcoming a 6-0 deficit with an eight-run third inning. Jeremy Penkert got the win, yielding five earned runs on two hits while striking out two and walking six.

Dustin Hillesheim was the big bat for Cathedral, going 4-for-5 with two doubles, six RBI and three runs scored. Teammates Adam Prochniak, Adam Neubauer and Andy Boyle each added two hits, with Prochniak driving in two runs and Neubauer and Boyle scoring two runs each.

SLEEPY EYE 210 100 0 -- 4 9 3

CATHEDRAL 302 104 x -- 10 12 3

WP-Knisley, LP-Deibele. 2B-Sprenger (SE), Walter (SE), Penkert (C).