Eagles shut out Fairmont

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Coming into New Ulm High's baseball game with Fairmont Monday night, Mike Grossmann had thrown only four innings thus far this season.

But in conditions that were less than desirable, he went five innings, struck out nine and allowed just one hit as the Eagles squeaked by Fairmont 2-0.

Grossmann, who threw 89 pitches in his appearance, worked out of two Cardinal threats -- one in the third and the final threat in the fourth.

Bob Wellmann finished up the last two innings, fanning four of the six batters that he faced.

Southpaw Derek Goernt took the loss for Fairmont (1-4-1, 1-3-1), going the distance. He struck out three and allowed five hits. One of the Eagles' two runs was unearned.

Travis Boddy and Travis Thorson each had two hits for New Ulm.

"This was mainly my first time out," Grossmann said. "The mound was a little muddy, but it was because it was my first time out. When it got tough, I had to show what I had."

"These are the kind of conditions that you worry about," commented Eagle coach Jim Senske. "The game could be called (the game was pushed back two hours because of a wet field at Johnson Park) because of the weather and you don't want a team getting a run on you because of that. For the third game in a row we played errorless ball, plus we got good pitching."

Fairmont also got good pitching from Goernt, who worked out of a second-inning jam. But while the New Ulm defense made the plays, Fairmont did not and it cost them.

In the fifth inning, New Ulm used two Fairmont errors -- their only boots of the game -- to score a run. Andy Stolt reached first when his ground ball to start the inning was booted by Dustin Zellmer. Matt Schmidt's bunt was fielded by Aaron Haycraft who fielded it cleanly but his throw sailed into right field, allowing Stolt to score and Schmidt to take third. But Goernt retired the next three hitters, the one-two-three hitters in the Eagle lineup, to avert further damage.

"We didn't get a clutch hit today like we have in previous ballgames," said Senske. "I had my clean-up hitter batting in the leadoff spot and I didn't want to bunt him and I didn't want to bunt with the lefthander (Eric Austvold) because it is to easy to pitch out, and before you knew it, the chance to score another run got away from us."

Grossmann got into his first jam in the third inning when he issued free passes to Aaron DeBerg and Jeff Schmitz to start the inning. But he struck out Mike Haycraft and Zellmer before coaxing Aaron Haycraft into flying out to center field to end the inning.

Then in the fourth Grossmann, after retiring the first two hitters of the inning, yielded a single to Goernt, balked him to second and then issued his fourth walk of the game to put Cardinal runners on first and second with two outs. But again he came through, striking out DeBerg on a called third strike to end the inning.

"I just had to get tougher in those situations," Grossmann said. "I had to show what I have."

The Eagles, who host USC Thursday at 5 p.m. at MLC, added an insurance run in the sixth inning. Paul Yager walked and pinchrunner Gary Wurtzberger went to second on a Boddy groundout. Wurtzberger would score on a Thorson two-out single to center for a 2-0 lead.

'Grossmann did a nice job in his first outing," Senske said. "We are pleased with his outing and he was smart enough to tell me that he was getting tired (after the fifth inning). He did a good job."

FAIRMONT 000 000 0 -- 0 1 2

NEW ULM 000 011 x -- 2 5 0

WP-Grossmann, LP-Goernt.