Rabbits slips past Chargers in tight game

Wabasso's Samyn scores game's

only run in seventh inning to beat MVL

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- For six innings on Wednesday, the Minnesota Valley Lutheran Chargers and the Wabasso Rabbits fought off each other's scoring threats.

Through those first six innings, Wabasso had stranded 10 runners on base, including leaving the sacks full in the top of the sixth.

The Chargers had left seven runners on base, as neither team could get that one key hit or break to get a runner home.

But in the top of the seventh inning, Wabasso got the first -- and only -- break of the game.

Dan Mathiowetz's potential inning-ending double-play ball went under the glove of Charger shortstop David Sting, and an ensuing double steal plated Matt Samyn, who had preceeded Mathiowetz with a base hit to lift Wabasso to a 1-0 win over MVL in Tomahawk Conference baseball.

Samyn picked up the win for Wabasso (7-2, 9-3), striking out four and allowing only two hits.

Mark Rolloff took the hard-luck loss, despite his second straight strong pitching performance. Rolloff fanned eight and walked three as the Chargers fell to 5-5 in the conference and 7-6 overall. The only run that he allowed was unearned.

"I was really proud of the way that we played today," said Charger coach Jeff Schoenherr. "We played good, solid defense despite the one crucial error. But we are not going to point fingers there. We had our chances on offense."

The Chargers would get runners to third base in the second, fourth and fifth innings and have a runner hit by a batted ball while running to third in the first inning.

"We needed that clutch hit but did not get it," he said.

Meanwhile, Wabasso would mount scoring threats in each inning, but the right-handed Rolloff would work out of each of them. In the second inning, Rolloff yielded a lead-off triple to Mathiowetz but got John Frank on a groundout that moved Mathiowetz to third, before fanning both David Riley and Josh Gronli to end the inning.

And in the sixth inning, Rolloff saw Wabasso load the bases with one out but retired Keith Baune on a strikeout and coaxed Nate Baune to fly out to center.

"Mark pitched well and our defense also played well," Schoenherr said. "We have been preaching to our pitchers all year to rely on their defense -- get groundball outs and pop-outs. They do not have to strike out every batter."

Meanwhile, the Rabbits' Samyn avoided damages in the game as MVL placed a runner on third in three innings, but each time, Samyn got out of the potential trouble and frustrated Charger hitters.

"I could see that frustration mounting on the guys, and I am just waiting for them to all of a sudden cut loose. I am not worried about the team -- we have confidence and need to be confident at the plate when they have runners in scoring position."

The Chargers will have little time to sulk over the loss as they host Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop in a doubleheader at Johnson Park today beginning at 4:30 p.m.

WABASSO 000-000-1 -- 1 7 0

MVL 000-000-0 -- 0 2 1

Sleepy Eye 1, NUC 0 (Tues.)

SLEEPY EYE -- Sleepy Eye came out on top of a pitchers' duel with New Ulm Cathedral Tuesday in which both pitchers gave up just one hit.

Tyler Jensen pitched the complete game for the Indians, giving up one hit in the top of the sixth inning to Cathedral's Adam Prochniak. He also gave up six walks and a bean ball, striking out five.

For Cathedral, Eric Portner pitched six innings, giving up Sleepy Eye's only hit to Derek Nachreiner in the bottom of the first. He also walked four and struck out three.

The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the third. Sleepy Eye's Dan Krzmarzick led off with a walk, was advanced on a sac bunt and a wild pitch, then scored on a dribbler up the right side of the infield by B.J. Springer.

Cathedral stranded eight baserunners, giving up some scoring chances. In the fifth, a failed suicide bunt caught the runner at third out, in the sixth, Prochniak was thrown out at the plate on a wild pitch, and Jensen pitched out of a jam in the seventh for the win.

Cathedral (8-5, 6-4) has a doubleheader at Springfield, and Sleepy Eye (8-4, 8-3) is at Buffalo Lake-Hector for a doubleheader today.

Cathedral won the B game 6-4, with Andy Berg being credited with the win, and the Cathedral C-squad won 6-5.