Eagles get bats going, advance

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

MARSHALL -- Who needs destiny when you can hit like this.

The New Ulm High Eagles knew they were going to see the best the Marshall Tigers had to throw at them. It didn't matter -- the Eagles' once-quiet bats are again making plenty of noise.

New Ulm High pounded out 17 hits and pounded Marshall 11-5 Tuesday night in a Section 2-3A elimination game at American Legion Field. Every starter but one for the Eagles recorded at least one hit.

"I'm sure glad to see the bats come alive in the late innings," New Ulm High coach Jim Senske said. "They were getting down in their pitching. ... It was nice to see our bats come alive at the end and put it out of sight."

The Eagles will travel to St. Michael to play for the section title.

They must beat St. Michael twice to win the Section 2-3A crown. The first game is tentatively scheduled for 5 p.m. Thursday; the second game would be at 7:30 p.m.

As odd as it may seem, the game was tight until the top of the seventh inning. New Ulm High (22-3) led only 5-4 before sending 10 batters to the plate and scoring six insurance runs.

The Eagles' once seemingly insurmountable 5-1 lead was almost surmounted in the Tigers' half of the fifth inning. A three-run homer by Matt Gerber made it a game for Marshall (15-7).

"We gave up the three-run job, but that's no biggie," Eagles left fielder Keith McClellan said. "We've got a great-hitting team. We just stepped it up and hit the ball."

McClellan went 3-for-5, and he made sure the Eagles had just more than a couple of runs for insurance in the top of the seventh inning. On the first pitch off Tiger reliever Sam Wiener, McClellan hit a three-run homer of his own to put the game out of reach at 10-4.

"The pitch was right down the middle, I just sat back and took it out," McClellan said. "It felt good. He was coming pretty good, but I stayed back and took it out."

McClellan's three-run homer immediately followed Eric Austvold's two-RBI single that put the Eagles up 7-4. The only other hit of the inning for the

Eagles was Brandon Rolloff's two-out single; Rolloff later scored on a two-base throwing error.

In 1 1-3 innings, Weiner got blasted for five runs on only three hits.

"A couple of guys took one for the team," Austvold said. "They got on base for us and in clutch situations you've got to capitalize."

Led by McClellan, five Eagles had multiple-hit games. Austvold was 2-for-5

with two RBI. Jamie Hoffmann was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored.

Dusty Fleck went 2-for-4 and Blake Thorson went 2-for-3 and scored twice.

Every New Ulm High starter scored at least once.

"We were giving them a hitter's count, the whole game," Marshall coach Pat Irsfeld said. "Behind in the count, how many times did we do that? We just didn't get the job done."

Said Senske: " The pitching that was in there was down the line for them. They've played a lot of games like us. The bats came alive and you have to do that if you're going to potentially win a section coming the long way back like we have done.

"Surprising things have to happen, and maybe they are."

Maybe so. But the Eagles' offensive slump, which ended with their two wins

Saturday, is officially ancient history. The Eagles are hitting again, and frequently, and they didn't wait until seeing some of the backwater

pitching from Marshall.

New Ulm High got 10 hits against Stephen Wiblemo (8-1), the Tigers' No. 1 pitcher. Wiblemo started and lasted 3 2-3 innings; he was charged with four runs.

"Give New Ulm credit, they took advantage of their opportunities," Irsfeld said. "They put the bat on the ball. We've got to put the ball in play, we didn't. New Ulm did."

The Eagles threatened in the first inning, but stranded two. In the second, they leveled the game at 1 and went up 3-1 with a pair of runs in the third. The Eagles got three two-out hits, including RBI singles from Fleck and Dan Kitzberger.

Through the first four innings, it didn't appear the Eagles were going to need any last-minute miracles, or even a last-inning hitting onslaught.

After a shaky start, allowing a run in the first inning, Bob Wellmann (10-2) was cruising. Wellman, after allowing a pair of hits in the first, gave up only one more.

But there may be a cost. Wellmann did not come out for the fifth inning, replaced by Chris Cariveau. Wellmann reported a "burning sensation" in his pitching elbow in the third inning, and Senske elected to pull Wellmann after four innings.

Cariveau gave up the three-run homer that brought the Tigers back into the game. Cariveau left after getting only one out and Fleck worked the last 2 2-3 innings, allowing just one unearned run on one hit. Senske had hoped to save Fleck for Thursday. That leaves several questions marks for the Eagles come Thursday. "I really don't know," Senske said. "Honestly, I almost have to wait to see if Wellmann's got a couple of innings for us. ... Cariveau is going to have to come back and start one of the games and Fleck is going to have to start one of the games. We may use Jamie Hoffmann some. He hasn't pitched an

inning all year for us."

NEW ULM HIGH 012 110 6--11 17 3

MARSHALL 100 030 1-- 5 6 3

Wellmann, Cariveau (5), Fleck (5) and Forstner, Thorson (6). Wiblemo,

Deutz (4), Wiener (6), Lehman (7) and Finnestad. W--Wellmann 10-2. L--Wiblemo 8-1. 2B--New Ulm High, Hoffmann, Fleck; Marshall, Labat. 3B--None. HRs--New Ulm High, McClellan; Marshall, Gerber. T--2:02.