Blue starts with victory

over Blue Earth, 11-7

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Matt Suess and Adam Prochniak each laced out three hits with Prochniak drilling a solo home run as New Ulm Legion Blue raced by Blue Earth 11-7 Thursday night in the Upper Midwest Classic.

Joe Peters picked up the win for Blue, going five innings and giving up two runs. Andy Kamm gave up two Blue Earth runs in the sixth with Andy Walden yielding the final three runs in the seventh inning.

Jim Grant was tagged with the loss for Blue Earth. He was charged with nine runs in five innings or work.

Derik Johnson and Mark Rolloff each added two hits for New Ulm with Nate Carroll adding a two-run homer.

Todd Rasmussen, Jim Grant and Justin Schaible all had two hits for Blue Earth.

"I thought that we came out and hit the ball well," said Blue coach Paul Buboltz. "I think that we are coming together now. But the last two innings (when Blue Earth scored five of their runs) we just lost concentration. We were on the verge of 10-running them (leading 11-2 going into the bottom of the sixth). I don't know if we got lazy or what."

New Ulm pushed four runs across in the first inning when Suess collected the first of his three hits with an infield single and stole second. He went to third on a balk and Carroll walked. Suess scored on a double steal and Carroll came home on Rolloff's RBI single to center. Joe Peters coaxed a walk before Adam Prochniak doubled both Rolloff and Peters home.

Blue Earth pushed a run across in the bottom of the inning on a double by Rasmussen and a double play.

Blue touched Grant for another run in the second when Suess stroked a triple to right field and scored on a throwing error by right fielder Brett Zabel on the play.

Ryan Vereide's single scored Justin Schaible to slice the New Ulm lead to 5-2 in the second before New Ulm plated three runs in the fourth.

Suess collected an infield single and got his second stolen base of the game. Carroll then drove an 0-1 Grant offering over the fence in left field for a 7-2 lead.

Johnson followed with a single, stole second and went to third on a throwing error by Blue Earth catcher Robert Perizzo. He scored on a Rolloff sacrifice fly to center.

New Ulm used another long ball -- this off the bat of Prochniak -- for a 9-2 lead when Prochniak took a 2-2 pitch over the fence in left.

"We have been hitting the ball better lately," commented Buboltz, whose team ended with 13 hits in the game.

Rolloff's single, a walk to Peters and a two-run double by John Knisley to center -- New Ulm's sixth extra base hit of the night -- made it 11-2.

Blue Earth made it 11-4 in the sixth on a two-run double by Lee Hodges and added three more in the seventh on Jim Grant's two-run double and an RBI single by Andrew Arndt.

NEW ULM BLUE 410 312 0--11 13 2

BLUE EARTH 110 002 3-- 7 9 3

WP: Peters.LP: Grant. 2B: Prochniak 2 (NU), Rasmussen (BE), Knisley (NU), Hodges (BE), Grant (BE). 3B: Suess (NU). HR: Carroll (NU), Prochniak (NU).