Jr. Legion tops Eden Prairie in nightcap

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Right-hander JJ Germscheid allowed Eden Prairie just two hits, and New Ulm used back-to-back triples in the fifth inning to score the eventual winning run as the Junior Legion topped Eden Prairie 3-2 in the nightcap of a doubleheader.

New Ulm lost the first game 12-10.

Germscheid struck out two, and one of the Eden Prairie runs was unearned as New Um improved to 11-3 on the season.

Jeff Anderson took the loss for Eden Prairie (14-2), allowing three runs on nine hits.

Tyler Morgan and Josh Sabatino each had two hits, with Morgan and Scott Knisley belting triples.

Cole Hyting and Jeff Kraemer had the Eden Prairie hits -- both coming in the second inning.

"To split with Eden Prairie -- I'll take that anytime," New Ulm coach Jay Backer said. "Their coach said that they had only one loss after 14 wins -- a split against a team of this caliber we will take."

New Ulm took a 2-0 lead in the first inning off of the right-handed Anderson when Scott Knisley reached on a one-out outfield error that allowed him to take second. After Anderson retired Tyler Morgan, Brad Kraus, who was 3-for-3 in the first game with five RBI, drove Knisley home with a double to center.

Kraus would not remain at second very long, as Josh Sabatino lined an RBI single to center for a 2-0 lead.

Eden Prairie sliced that lead to 2-1 in the top of the second when Germscheid walked Ben Richter, who went to second on a Cole Hyting single. Adam Voltherms' groundout moved Richter to third before Jeff Kraemer delivered an RBI single to center.

The visitors then knotted the game at 2-2 in the top of the third with an unearned run.

Andrew Phillips reached on a throwing error at third by Sabatino. A wild pitch moved him up. Hyting walked before Voltherms slapped a ground ball to shortstop Knisley, whose throw to first was in the dirt, allowing Voltherms to reach first and Phillips to score.

That was the last time Eden Prairie had a sniff at a score until the seventh when they used a one-out walk and an error to put runners on first and second with one out and a chance to tie the game.

But Dan Berg started a 4-6-3 game-ending double play on a ground ball off of the bat of Phillips.

Meanwhile, New Ulm had taken that one run lead in the fifth inning when Knisley and Morgan each stroked triples with one out.

"They are two of our better hitters and it was nice to see them hit the ball against a team like Eden Prairie. They were the best team that we have seen this year."

Backer was also happy with Germscheid's pitching.

"I thought that JJ Germscheid did a great job pitching," Backer said. "You do not get a much better pitching performance than what he gave us."

In the first game, Eden Prairie jumped to a 7-0 lead after 1 1/2 innings and hung on for a 12-10 win.

Adam Nilson took the pitching loss for New Ulm, going the distance. He allowed 12 hits and struck out five.

Andy Berenguer, the son of former Minnesota Twins pitcher Juan Berenguer, picked up the win in five innings of work. The left-hander permitted eight hits and seven runs while fanning three.

Brian Lindner was a perfect 5-for-5 and drove in four runs for Eden Prairie. Lindner had a double and triple. Andrew Phillips drilled a home run.

Brad Kraus countered with a 3-for-3 plate performance for New Ulm and belted a two-run fifth-inning home run.

Eden Prairie plated three runs in the first inning on a RBI single by Voltherms and a two run single by Jeff Kraemer.

They tacked on four more runs in the second on a two-run double by Greg Laughlin and a two-run home run by Phillips.

But New Ulm cut that lead to 7-2 with two runs in the bottom of the second on Brett Fleck's two-run single.

Eden Prairie continued to score with two more runs in the third before New Ulm scored three runs in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 9-5.

RBI singles by Morgan and Sabatino and a fielder's choice pulled New Ulm closer.

But Eden Prairie tacked on three more runs in the fourth for a 12-5 lead. But the Junior Legion came back with two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to cut the lead to 12-10.

A walk to Morgan and a two-run home run to left field by Brad Kraus in the fifth pulled New Ulm to within 12-7 before scoring three times in the sixth to pull to within two runs after having been down by seven.

"I was proud of the way that the kids came back after being down so far," Backer said. "We came back and stayed with them. Brad (Kraus) has been hitting the ball well."

Kraus had three hits, and Joey Geistfeld and Sabatino each collecting two hits.