Miscues prove costly

for NU Junior Legion

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Errors -- physical or mental -- have a way of coming back to hurt you.

Sunday afternoon, they cost the New Ulm Junior Legion the Junior Upper Midwest Classic title.

Maple Grove plated two unearned runs in the second inning on two New Ulm errors. The Junior Legion lost the game-tying run when a runner was caught off third as Maple Grove squeaked by New Ulm 4-3 to win the JUMC title.

Patrick Lenton got credit for the win for Maple Grove in relief of starter Nick Patrow.

Adam Macho was touched for the loss, going the distance and allowing only six hits. He struck out four.

Anders Grinde and Kyle Knudsen each had two hits for Maple Grove while Bryan Kamm had two hits for New Ulm. Adam Neubauer added a triple and Tony Mielke a double for New Ulm (27-8).

"We did not play defense the way that we were supposed to," said coach LeRoy Flor. "We made some errors at crucial points in the game and we got a runner picked off."

With the game scoreless, Maple Grove's Jeff Jarvis reached on an error by third baseman Landon Rewitzer. A Ryan Iskiera sacrifice bunt moved him to second. Justin Hurley's double to left scored Jarvis for a 1-0 lead. An infield single and an error on first baseman Zach Barrett on a grounder scored Hurley for a 2-0 lead.

New Ulm knotted the game in the fourth when Neubauer tripled and scored on Mielke's double off Patrow with Mielke taking third on an error on the play. Lenton took over and gave up an RBI bunt single by Barrett.

Maple Grove retook the lead in the fifth on an Anders Grinde single and a Kyke Knudson two-out single. Matt Case walked to load the bases and Lenton's line drive to right went off the glove of a diving Neubauer in right, scoring two runs.

New Ulm mounted its last threat in the fifth when Levi Stugelmeyer singled and Rewitzer reached on an error. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. On the next pitch, Stugelmeyer broke for the plate and was thrown out at third for the first out. And that mistake cost New Ulm. Bryan Kamm singled on the next pitch, scoring Rewitzer.

Lenton then set down New Ulm in order in the last two innings.

MAPLE GROVE 002 020 0--4 6 3

JUNIOR LEGION 000 210 0--3 6 3