Cathedral, MVL

one more time

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Like a wrestling main event, this one comes down to the third and deciding fall.

The Minnesota Valley Lutheran Chargers and the New Ulm Cathedral Greyhounds will meet at 7:30 p.m. today in Brownton in a Section 2-1A, West Subsection baseball game.

The Chargers (14-6) enter as the second-seeded team in the subsection while Cathedral (13-5) is the third-seeded club.

"This will be a game that anyone can win," said Charger coach Craig Morgan, who saw his team score four runs in the top of the sixth inning in the teams' first meeting to come away with a 6-3 win. "That win helped the kids. It showed them that they could come through in the clutch when they needed to."

Morgan knows one of the keys for his team to get a win will be keeping Cathedral's lead-off hitter, Joey Schugel, off the bases.

"I think that he (Schugel) can make a lot of things happen from that lead-off spot," Morgan said. "That (moving Schugel from third spot to lead-off) has been a key for them. He is probably their best athlete. If we can keep him off the bases, that will help us out tremendously. But if he does get on, we have to limit the number of bases that he can get to."

While keeping Schugel, who has been selected to play in the Lion's All-Star Baseball game this year, will be a defensive key for MVL, getting their lead-off hitter, Chris Mielke, on base will be just as an important a key for the Chargers.

"When we get Chris on base, it makes a lot of things happen," said Morgan. "If he is on base, then we can come up with Danny Liggett, who can lay down the bunt or get us a base hit. He and Chris have good speed and that can put pressure on the defense to try and get one of those runners."

And that overall team speed that MVL has will be a weapon that Morgan hopes to use.

"Everyone that we play has to hurry on defense and make decisions faster because of that speed," commented Morgan. "And on the bases, we have that threat to steal. We just need to pick the right time."

While Morgan is concerned with Schugel, he is also aware of other weapons that the Hounds have.

"They have several good pitchers who we could face," he said. "They play good defense, don't make mistakes and are a fundamentally-strong team."

Morgan said he is not sure who will start on the mound. Tom Metzger still has a swollen right eye from being hit with a pitched ball. Morgan added Mielke will be ready if Metzger cannot go today.

Meanwhile, the Greyhounds enter the game riding an eight-game winning streak under coach Bob Weier.

The Hounds gained revenge for the 6-3 loss with a 7-6 win later in the year.

And like MVL, which used a four-run rally in the sixth inning, the Hounds recorded a four-run inning of their own in their win, scoring four times in the fifth inning of that game.

And like Morgan, Weier feels it's a game that can go either way.

"The teams are close on paper and the team that wins will be the team that does the three things -- good pitching, good defense and timely hitting -- that will advance to play Friday in the title game. It will be an interesting ballgame."

Weier also feels Mielke will be an important player in the outcome of today's contest. Keeping him off the bases will be a key to the Hounds' winning.

"Chris creates some problems because he has the ability to get on base and once he gets on base, he then uses his speed again to create problems for our pitchers and catchers," Weier said. "It puts extra pressure (on us) knowing that (we) probably have to hurry things up a little bit and that is when young people make mistakes."

Weier is also concerned about MVL's speed. "We need to make the plays and get outs out of outs."

The eight-game winning streak for the Hounds is momentum Weier hopes they can keep going into this game and further.

"As you deal with young people in athletics, they will have an up-and-down procedure, but you hope that the curve is continually going up," commented Weier. "You will play some good games and you will play some games where you do not play well. But overall, the last two weeks, we have played some good baseball."

And the Hounds have held the upper hand over MVL in baseball playoffs. "The last two years, we have beaten them in the opening round. Both games have been close but that is what happens in playoff games," Weier said.

Weier, like Morgan, does not know who he will send to the mound tonight but one thing is certain.

It will be a heck of a third and deciding fall.