Brewers rally for five runs in

eighth inning to stop Essig, 10-7

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- The New Ulm Brewers rallied for five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, and Tony Burt struck out the last two Essig batters with the bases loaded as the Brewers topped Essig 10-7 Wednesday night in Tomahawk East League baseball.

Scott O'Brien got the win for New Ulm (11-1, 10-1) in relief of starter Chris Peters.

Terry Helget was touched for the loss as Essig fell to 7-5.

Brad Weber and Scott O'Brien led New Ulm with three hits each and two RBI. Al Wurtzberger and Evan Jacobs each had two hits.

Ryan Weier, Jon Geifer and Lee Haala all had three hits with Lee Haala and Geifer driving in two runs.

The Brewers, who will host St. James at 8 p.m. Friday, trailed the Bluejays 7-5 going into the bottom of the eighth. But Evan Jacobs and O'Brien each rapped one-out singles off Essig starter Jeff Juni. Terry Helget came in and tossed a wild pitch before walking Troy Kamm to load the bases. Brad Weber knotted the game at 7 with a double to center.

Scott Schaefer followed with a lazy fly ball to right that was dropped by Jays right fielder Lee Haala, permitting both Kamm and Weber to put the Brewers up 9-7. Wurtzberger followed with a double to right for a 10-7 lead.

Essig, who will play at Stark at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, then threatened in the top of the ninth off O'Brien. Lee Haala tripled to start the inning before O'Brien issued one-out walks to Weier and Geifer. That brought in Burt who got Helget on a called third strike and then set down Doug Radloff on a swinging third strike to end the game.

New Ulm took a 1-0 lead in the second when Corey Schaefer reached on a fielder's choice and eventually scored on O'Brien' single to center.

The Jays used two Brewer errors to score three runs in the third. Haala reached on a two-base error. A Weier single and a Geifer double tied the game. A free pass and an error by shortstop Corey Schaefer allowed two runs to score.

A Schaefer single scored Todd Hoffmann, who had doubled earlier before Jacobs' doubled and O'Brien lofted a sacfice fly to right that tied the game at 3.

Peters' RBI single in the fifth scored Brad Weber, who had singled and Hoffmann's sacrifice fly to deep left brought in a doubling Schafer for a 5-3 lead.

Essig pulled to within 5-4 in the top of the sixth on a Geifer single before scoring three runs in the seventh to take a 7-5 lead.

In the seventh, Juni blasted a solo home run to knot the game at 5. Kyle Helget followed with a single and Mitch Stueber doubled him to third.. Both trotted home on Haala's base hit to left for that two-run lead.

ESSIG 003 001 300-- 7 14 3

BREWERS 010 220 05x--10 15 3

Juni, T.Helget (8) and T.Helget, La.Haala (8). Peters, O'Brien (8), Burt (9) and Wurtzberger, Peters (8). 2B--Kamm (NU), Geifer (E), Lee Haala (E), Hoffmann (NU), Jacobs (NU), S. Schaefer (NU), O'Brien (NU), Stueber (E), T. Helget (E), Wurtzberger (NU). 3B--Lee Haala (E). HR--Juni (E).