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April 23, 2000
New Ulm bats get hotBy JIM BASTIAN Journal Sports Writer NEW ULM -- New Ulm High School erased a 3-2 deficit with seven unanswered runs, coming away with a 9-3 win over Blue Earth Area in South Central Conference baseball play Saturday afternoon at Johnson Park. Ryan Wellmann collected the victory in relief of starter Drew Waibel. The right-hander allowed three hits in the final four innings, striking out two. He was the beneficiary of two big double plays from the errorless Eagle defense. John Roesler took the loss for Blue Earth, now 2-2 in the SCC and 5-2 overall. Scott O'Brien and Andy Stolt each had two-hit days, with O'Brien driving in two runs. "Blue Earth is not a bad club; they are improved," said Eagle head coach Jim Senske. "We are not going to hit the ball like we did last year (New Ulm had 10 hits in the game). We got out in front, which make a team play relaxed; there were some positive things that happened to us today." The first was the pitching of Eagle starter Waibel who, for the first 2 2/3 innings, was overpowering. He fanned the first five hitters that he faced and retired the first eight Buc hitters. In the first two innings, the left-hander threw only 27 pitches, 19 for strikes. The second was the hitting of O'Brien. And the third was the play of New Ulm's defense. New Ulm plated two runs in the first inning when Evan Jacobs led off with a bunt single and took second on a Jason Schmitz sacrifice bunt. Jacobs trotted home on an O'Brien base hit to center, and one out later O'Brien scored on a Travis Thorson bloop double to center for a 2-0 lead. The Bucs would tie the game in the third, scoring twice after two were out. Lee Lincoln and Tyler Dressen both walked on eight straight balls from Waibel, who suddenly found himself with control problems. Jake Frey then knotted the game with a double to center. Blue Earth would score a run in the fourth inning to end Waibel's pitching day. T. J. Stillman legged out an infield hit and Aaron Wendt was hit by a Waibel pitch. Consecutive walks to Mike Lewis and John Roesler plated the go-ahead run and brought in Wellmann. "Drew looked like he was going to throw a no-hitter as I told him in the dugout," commented Senske. "And then he kind of lost his composure, but he will be better for it. He learned what he can and can't do; you can't just throw the ball by the hitters." Wellmann took over and was aided by the first big defensive play by the Eagle defense that ended a potential big inning. Kevin Rasmussen lofted a foul fly to right field that was caught by Schmitz. Wendt tagged and attempted to score but the throw from Schmitz to Mitch Stueber to catcher Al Wurtzberger cut down Wendt at the plate. Wellmann then fanned Lee Lincoln to end the inning. The Eagles, who improved to 2-0 in the SCC and 2-2 overall, responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Travis Boddy walked and went to third on Stueber's double before scoring on Robby Geistfeld's sacrifice fly. An Andy Stolt single and a Jacobs' sacrifice fly scored Stueber. O'Brien's lead-off triple in the fifth inning ignited a two-run rally. He scored on a passed ball before Wurtzberger would walk and eventually score on a fielder's choice. New Ulm tacked on three runs in the sixth as Jamie Hoffmann led off by reaching on an error and scored on Isaac Larson's triple. A walk and an error plated the second run of the inning before Craig Spelbrink's infield base hit scored the ninth New Ulm run of the game. "We didn't have any boots today" said Senske, who will see his Eagles travel to St. Peter Monday for a 5 p.m. SCC game. "And each time that you field the ball, you start feeling better about yourself. We are improved from 10 days ago." BLUE EARTH 002 100 0 -- 3 4 2 NEW ULM 200 223 x -- 9 10 0 WP--Wellmann, LP--Roesler. 2B--Thorson (NU), Frey (BE), Stueber (NU). 3B--O'Brien (NU), Larson (NU).
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