Kaiserhoff falls to Granite

BY JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Granite Falls' righthander Curt Kvan held Kaiserhoff bats to just five hits in nine innings, and Kilowatt bats put together eight hits in the first three innings as the Kilowatts downed New Ulm 7-2 in Ara Wilson League play.

Kvan fanned seven as the Kilowatts improved to 8-1 on the season.

John Spaeth went the first three innings and gave up five runs to take the loss for the Kaiserhoff, their second straight defeat.

Tim Knapper and Scott Olson each had two hits for Granite Falls with Knapper collecting a double and a solo home run.

Ryan Ellwein and Brian Raabe had two hits each for New Ulm (3-2).

Granite Falls scored three runs in the second inning off Spaeth, an emergency starter, when Jared Visker, who was penciled in to pitch, hurt his pitching shoulder in warmups.

Scott Olson singled and took second on a groundout before scoring on Mike Richter's single. Singles by Jay Magnuson and Jon Rambow and a Trevor Schulte bloop base hit made it 3-0 for the Kilowatts.

Tim Knapper led off the fourth with a home run for a 4-0 lead. Jeff Asche followed with a double and scored on an Olson base hit.

While Granite Falls bats were ringing, the Kaiserhoff bats were silent. The Kaiserhoff only had one hit, a Brian Raabe single in the first, through five innings.

Ryan Ellwein singled to start the sixth inning but died at third before they finally put together some offense in the eighth inning.

Ellwein and Raabe singled before a Tom Steinbach base hit plated the first New Ulm run of the game. A wild pitch by Kvam allowed the second run to score.

The Kilowatts tacked on two insurance runs in the ninth inning on a two-run single by Nick Richter.

GRANITE FALLS 032-000-002=7-10-0

NEW ULM KAISERHOFF 000-000-020=2-5-0

WP:Kvam. LP:Spaeth.