Eagles edge Prior Lake with seventh inning Rolloff homer

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Brandon Rolloff's lead-off home run in the last of the seventh inning lifted the New Ulm Eagles to a 6-5 win over Prior Lake in the loser's bracket play of Section 2-3A Thursday afternoon at Johnson Park.

New Ulm will take on Hutchinson, who lost to St. Michael's-Albertville 4-2, at St. Michael's Recreation Center in St. Michael at 11 a.m. Saturday. The winner will face the winner between Buffalo and Chaska, the team that knocked the Eagles into the losers' bracket, at 1:30 p.m. at St. Michael High School.

Rolloff's blast, coming on a 1-0 offering by Laker righthander Joey Shimek, went over the scoreboard and kept the Eagles' season alive.

The senior rightfielder, who was 0-2 with a walk in his first three at-bats, waited on fastball in this at-bat. "He had gotten me on two curveballs (a pop-out to shortstop and a strikeout) - he got me a little off-track. But I moved back in the (batters) box. I just waited on the fastball."

Rolloff's dinger came after Prior Lake, which finishes the season at 13-11, had overcome a 5-0 Eagle lead after two innings.

Bob Wellmann, the third pitcher used by New Ulm in the game, got the win, getting out of a major jam in the top of the seventh inning. Wellmann allowed a one-out double, a walk and a New Ulm error had loaded the bases for Prior Lake before the junior righthander got the next two outs to end the threat.

Eric Austvold, Keith McClellan, Jamie Hoffmann and Dusty Fleck each had two hits with Fleck driving in four runs with a home run. He also tripled with McClellan doubling.

"Prior Lake hit the ball very well," said Eagle coach Jim Senske about his team that was out-hit by the Lakers 11-9 in the game. "We feel fortunate - we had a runner thrown out at the plate (in the bottom of the sixth inning) and in the fifth, we had a man on third with one out and was going to give Dan Kitzberger one cut over a drawn in infield and then squeeze but he hit the ball hard right at the shortstop. So I was kicking myself for not squeezing then. So thank goodness that Brandon pulled if off for us."

But a close game was not on the minds of the Eagles early in the game as they plated four runs in the first inning and then added another run in the second

In the first, Eric Austvold led off with a single to right off of Shimek and swiped second.He came home on Keith McCellan's 1-1 double to center.

After a one-out walk to Rolloff, Dusty Fleck, who started the game on the mound for the Eagles, hammered Shimek's first pitch over the fence in rightfield for a three-run homer and a 4-0 lead.

The Eagles, who improved to 19-3 with the win, added to their lead in the second when Austvold walked after there was one out. He scampered to third on a McClellan single and scored on Jamie Hoffmann's base hit to center.

But after that, Shimek toughened and allowed only four more hits the rest of the way.

"I thought that a lot of our players felt that we were going to 10-run them and it was going to be a quick game," commented Rolloff. "But they (Prior Lake) showed a lot of heart and they stayed around."

And while Shimek toughened, Laker hitters started to get to Fleck.

In the third inning, Prior Lake would score three times. Singles by Tony Doherty and Shimek and a two-run double by Paul Busselman cut the lead to 5-2. Busselman later scored on a Sam Hoppe triple.

It became 5-4 in the fourth as Tyson Anderson took over for Fleck after he allowed two singles and Anderson uncorked a wild pitch.

New Ulm seemed like they would get an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth when Fleck led off with a triple to center. But two strikeouts sandwiched in between a groundout ended the threat.

A walk to Kyle R. Johnson in the sixth resulted in the tying run scoring on a Doherty single and an error by eventual hero Rolloff in rightfield.

New Ulm again would mount a threat, this time in the sixth. Austvold singled with one out and was moved to second on a Wellmann sacrifice bunt. Hoffmann then laced a single to left and Austvold tried to score. But he was thrown out on a perfect throw from leftfielder Kyle S.. Johnson to catcher Sam Hoppe who had the plate blocked on a sliding Austvold.

But one inning later, Brandon Rolloff ended the game with his home run.

"It was frustrating (not scoring in the fifth and sixth innings)," said Rolloff. "We know that we can beat anyone in the state. It is just a matter of going out and doing it -- it's tournament time."

PRIOR LAKE 003 101 0--5-11-2

NEW ULM 410 000 1--6-9-2

PRIOR LAKE: Joey Shimek and Sam Hoppe. NEW ULM: Dusty Fleck, Tyson Anderson (4), Bob Wellmann (6) and Blake Thorson. 2B:McClellan (NU), Olynck 2 (PL). 3B:Hoppe (PL), Fleck (NU). HR: Fleck (NU), Rolloff (NU).

No outs when winning run scored.