Knights succumb to CathedralGreyhounds pull out of four-game slump

By JEREMY BEHNKE

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- New Ulm Cathedral came into Thursday's baseball game against Sleepy Eye St. Mary's needing to get a win to gain back some confidence.

The Greyhounds sprinted out the gate with 13 straight wins and had a good lead in the Tomahawk Conference, but four straight losses to Springfield and Wabasso enabled St. Mary's to overtake the Greyhounds at the top of the standings.

With that in mind, the teams battled at Mueller Park for first place and bragging rights in the conference, and it took more than seven innings to be settled.

Cathedral's Adam Neubauer, who had been hitting the ball hard all day, drove a Joey Wahl offering into the gap in right-center and the ball rolled all the way to the warning track, helping the Greyhounds to a 3-2 win in eight innings.

"We lost four games in a row, and we had to bounce back," Neubauer said. "We had to take this game and to be able to get confidence. We had to get the monkey off our shoulders, because you don't want to head into the playoffs losing five, six in a row, so we needed this. It was a big win."

Wahl took the loss, going the distance. He struck out two and allowed five hits.

"Joey Wahl pitched a great game," Neubauer said. "You can't expect him to give up one or two runs. He did his job out there. We just came through with clutch hits in the end."

St. Mary's led for the majority of the game 1-0. The Knights scored their first run in the top of the second when Jamie Pietig walked and later scored on an error.

The Knights looked like they were going to extend the lead in the top of the sixth. With runners on first and second and one out, both Steve Seidl and Pietig advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch.

But the Knights were unable to score after Lonnie Beltz worked the count in his favor, then hit a fly ball to center for the second out.

Alan Woitas then hit a line drive to left field, but Cathedral's Kyle Reinarts made a diving catch on the line to preserve the 1-0 lead. It was also the end of Eric Portner's day. Portner pitched the first six innings for the Greyhounds.

"We did a great job," Neubauer said. "Eric Portner did a heck of a job, and then Junior [Gary Wilfahrt] and Scott Knisely came in there and did their job, so you can't expect more from our pitchers. They did a good job, and we just played good defense out there."

With the momentum shifting to Cathedral's side, the Greyhounds tied it at 1 apiece when Josh Sabatino scored on a fielder's choice in the bottom of the sixth.

After both teams had a scoreless seventh inning, St. Mary's retook the lead in the top of the eighth when Wahl walked and took second on Cole Helget's single. Wahl eventually scored on a wild pitch, but the Knights stranded two more runners.

St. Mary's stranded eight runners, leaving two men on base in three different innings.

In the bottom of the eighth, Reinarts drew a walk and Jeff Schnobrich had a bunt single to put runners on first and second with nobody out. Schnobrich was thrown out at second on a sac bunt attempt by Sabatino, putting runners on first and third with one out and setting the stage for Neubauer.

Neubauer proved to be the hero, lacing a double in the gap, scoring both Reinarts and Sabatino.

"He threw me a fastball outside," Neubauer said. "I saw it coming. I was ahead in the count, so I expected a fastball. I was hitting the ball all day at people, so its just nice to get a gapper and get out of a slump."

The win for Cathedral means both teams are now tied for first place and have identical records (14-4, 11-4).

Cathedral is at Minnesota Valley Lutheran at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Johnson Park and St. Mary's plays Sleepy Eye at 8 p.m. Thursday.

St. Mary's won the B-squad game 4-3. Cathedral's Ryan Bauer had 12 strikeouts and Joe Kral had three hits for the Greyhounds.