Crusaders oust Cathedral

By PAUL DUNLAP

Journal Sports Editor

MANKATO -- The late-inning magic finally ran out for the New Ulm Cathedral baseball team Tuesday evening.

The Hounds left nine runners on base, including two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh inning, as Mankato Loyola escaped with a 5-3 win in a Section 2-1A elimination game at Franklin Rogers Park.

The Crusaders (13-8) advance to face Sleepy Eye St. Mary's (22-1) for the section title Thursday, 5 p.m., at FRP. A second game, if necessary, will be played at 7 p.m.

The Greyhounds end their season with a 15-8 mark.

"We couldn't get our lead-off hitters on, we couldn't get the clutch hit when we needed it. ... We couldn't do anything," Cathedral coach Bob Weier said. "When we got (runners) on, we couldn't get them in. Nothing worked.

"Any part of the ballgame when we got a runner on, if we could have gotten a big base hit ... that becomes contagious. We didn't do that today, and that's the ballgame."

Loyola jumped out on top in the top of the first, and never trailed in the game. Lead-off hitter Tony Rotchadl walked, and eventually scored on a throwing error to first by Hound shortstop Joey Schugel. Cathedral knotted the game in the second as Joey Penkert reached on an error and scored on a Kyle Helget double to right-center. Hound batters accounted for four doubles off Crusader starter Mark Woodward, but never scored more than one run in an inning.

"The kids talked about some sort of knuckleball or change-up (Woodward) was throwing," Weier said. "They seemed to have some trouble with it, but I thought he was definitely hittable."

Loyola went on top for good with a pair of runs in the third as Rotchadl singled and went to third on a nice hit-and-run as John Vangsness delivered a base hit to right. Rotchadl scored on a Jamie Mulvihill grounder that forced Vangsness, and Mulvihill eventually scored on a John Knisley wild pitch. Knisley took the loss, yielding four runs on five hits while striking out three and walking one in four innings.

"He hasn't pitched for awhile, but I'm not trying to make excuses," Weier said of Knisley. "He didn't keep the ball down; the ball was up (in the strike zone), and they hit the ball hard off him a few times. Then they had some in-betweeners, and that's what happens. But (giving up) five runs ... we should have scored more than three runs."

The Hounds got within a run in the bottom of the third as Dusty Wilfahrt singled, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Brandon Reinarts' double to right field.

The Rotchadls then staked Loyola to single runs in each of the fourth and sixth innings to push the Loyola lead to 5-2. Designated hitter Robby Rotchadl scored both runs, the first coming on brother Tony's suicide squeeze bunt and the second on his bloop single down the line in left.

Cathedral reached in the bag for some magic in the seventh, but came up short. Schugel got things started with a base hit, and Dan Pollitt's one-out throwing error put runners on first and third. Hans Biebl doubled to right to plate Schugel, but Penkert struck out looking and Mitch Palmer grounded to first to end the game and Cathedral's season.

"You can't take a called third strike in that situation," Weier said. "You have to up there hacking when the game's on the line."

Woodward got the complete-game win for the Crusaders, scattering seven hits while striking out six and walking four.

"When the kids take some time to reflect, they'll realize that this was a good season for us," Weier said. "We ended up deep in the playoffs, took second place in the (Tomahawk) conference, and played the top-ranked team in the state (St. Mary's) tough all four times we played them.

LOYOLA 102 101 0--5 7 2

CATHEDRAL 011 000 1--3 7 1

WP-Woodward, LP-Knisley. 2B-Schugel (C), Helget (C), Reinarts (C), Biebl (C).