Greyhounds top Mustangs

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- There really wasn't a lot for the New Ulm Cathedral Greyhounds to say. They were happy, because they won.

It wasn't as bad as the last time the Greyhounds and the Buffalo Lake-Hector Mustangs met. Still, it was bad enough. Cathedral needed only five innings to 10-run the Mustangs 11-1 Thursday afternoon at Mueller Park in Tomahawk Conference baseball.

Earlier this season, Cathedral routed BLH 28-0.

"We hit the ball, we try to stay with our gameplan," Cathedral coach Bob Weier said. "Hitters have to concentrate on the count, what they want to do when its 2-0 or 3-1. They need to remember what to do with a runner at second base, we want to advance them. And things like that."

That then is the hardest thing about an easy win -- you still have to play baseball.

"You have to pay extra attention to those things," Weier said. "Kids can start paying attention to batting averages instead of looking at the team. I don't think our kids did that. I think they were concentrating on what they were supposed to be doing."

Cathedral (7-1, 5-1 Tomahawk) overwhelmed the Mustangs without being mean about it. They collected just eight hits -- only Jacob Schlomann had more than one hit for the Greyhounds; he went 2-for-3, scoring twice and driving in a run.

Even that wasn't that easy.

"I kind of got lucky," Schlomann said. "Slow pitching gives me a lot of trouble. I like faster pitching. I shortened my stride up a little bit and let the bat slow down so I could hit the ball."

Schlomann went down swinging on five pitches in his first at-bat. But he singled in both the six-run third and three-run fifth inning.

"Jacob Schlomann doesn't get to play a lot, he hangs in there," Weier said. "These are opportunities for him to play and he helped us immensely."

The Greyhounds didn't need much run support. The Mustangs picked up only three hits -- all off reliever Kyle Helget in the top of the fifth inning.

John Knisley (2-0) worked the first three innings, facing one more than the mininum. The Mustangs' only baserunner off Knisley was a walk in the second inning; Knisley fanned six, striking out the side in the second and third innings.

Knisley was pulled out early according to plan. Weier said he wanted Knisley to be available for a scheduled doubleheader with Wabasso today at Johnson Park in New Ulm.

"That's what coach (Weier) said we were going to do," Knisley said. "I was hitting the strike zone, hitting the outside corner pretty good today."

Helget worked the final two innings for the Greyhounds and yielded the only BLH run in the top of the fifth.

Knisley gave the Greyhounds a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning, reaching on a two-base throwing error. He scored two batters later when Jacob Mertz reached on the Mustangs' second error of the inning.

The Greyhounds then staged a six-run uprising in the third inning, getting four singles and taking advantage of two BLH errors.

The first single, by Mitch Palmer, scored Corey Schnobrich, who was hit by Mustang starter Steve Kalenburg (0-3). Adam Prochniak and Schlomann also drove in runs with singles as the Greyhounds sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning.

BLH committed six errors in the game. Still, the Mustangs' defense was vastly improved over the first meeting between the teams.

"They caught the fly balls," Schlomann said. "They were better. They've really improved since the last game."

Kalenburg, who was saddled with seven runs -- three earned -- on four hits, did not come out for the fourth inning. Brett Witter pitched the final 1 1-3 innings, allowing four runs -- three earned -- on four hits.

Cathedral got the three runs it needed to end the game in the bottom of the fifth. Schlomann singled to lead off the inning and pinch hitter Adam Neubauer doubled to the gap in left to score Schlomann, giving Cathedral a 9-1 margin. Schnobrich and Wilfahrt received one-out walks and both scored on Helget's bloop single just behind third base.

BLH 000 01-- 1 3 6

CATHEDRAL 016 13--11 8 0

One out when game ended by 10-run rule

Kalenburg, Witter (4) and Witter, Duehn (4). J.Knisley, Helget (4) and Prochniak. W--J.Knisley, 2-0. L--Kalenburg, 0-3. 2B--Cathedral, Neubauer. 3B--None. HR--None. T--1:25.