Eagles defeat Park Center 7-4

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- In a game in which both teams were guilty of errors ­ three by New Ulm and five by Park Center ­ the Pirates' final error of the game proved to be the most costly.

Charlie Zerkie's error on an Isaac Forstner groundball with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning sparked a three-run inning as the Eagles ran their season mark to 13-0 with a 7-4 win over Park Center Friday night in the New Ulm Invitational Baseball Tournament.

Bob Wellmann ran his season mark to 4-0 in getting the win for New Ulm. He went seven innings and gave up six hits. He struck out three and walked two.

Lefthander Kevin Cogswell took the loss for Park Center (7-5). He allowed seven hits and fanned two in 5 2/3 innings of work as his personal record fell to 2-3.

Jamie Hoffmann and Brandon Rolloff each collected two hits. Hoffmann tripled while Rolloff doubled and tripled. Rolloff and Jace Marti each drove in two runs.

Kevin Cogswell, John Brisky and Joel Williams all doubled for Park Center with Pat Egan lacing a triple.

"We gave them some runs and then we would come back and get some ourselves -- it was that type of a game," said New Ulm coach Jim Senske. "It was a night where the ball was hit hard (seven of the 13 hits by the teams were for extra bases). I thought that when we had to, we humped our backs a little bit and came through and won a game against a decent Twin Cities school."

The game was knotted at 4-4 going into the bottom of the sixth when the Eagles, who had held leads of 2-1 and 4-2, humped their backs as coach Senske said.

After Cogswell retired Dan Kitzberger for the first out, Isaac Forstner slapped a groundball towards shortstop Charlie Zerkie who committed his second error of the game allowing Forstner to reach first. A Jamie Hoffmann single to center moved Forstner to third. Keith McCellan then grounded to second baseman Brandon Sobiech. He fielded the ball cleanly but his throw home to catcher Mike Kern was dropped allowing Forstner to score. for a 5-4 New Ulm lead.A Brandon Rolloff fly out to center moved Hoffmann to third before Dusty Fleck singled home Hoffmann. McClellan then scored on a Jace Marti bloop single to center.

"We kicked the ball around tonight and that got us in trouble," commented Park Center coach Jeff Stoll. "We hit the ball hard but we cannot give up that three-run inning when they should have been out of it with no runs."

Park Center took a 1-0 lead in the first on a John Brisky sacrifice fly before the Eagles put a two-spot on the board in the bottom of the inning. Hoffmann reached on a Zerkie error and scored on Brandon Rolloff's one-out triple. Jace Marti's sacrifice fly plated Rolloff.

Doubles by Brisky and Joel Williams tied the game at 2-2 in the fourth but the Eagles tacked on two runs in the bottom of the inning on a walk, a Hoffmann triple and a Rolloff double. "Those two (Hoffmann and Rolloff) are tough ballplayers," said Senske."They have been strong all season -- when their bats are going,we are going."

The Pirates used an error, a Pat Egan triple and a groundout to even the game at 4-4 in the fifth.

PARK CENTER 100-120-0=4-6-5

NEW ULM 200-203-X=7-7-3

WP:Wellmann (4-0). LP: Cogswell (2-3). 2B:Cogswell (PC), Brisky (PC),Williams (PC), Rolloff (NU). 3B: Rolloff (NU), Hoffmann (NU), Egan (PC).