Blue rallies past Sault Ste. Marie

By JEREMY BEHNKE

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- New Ulm Blue's Adam Neubauer had pitched seven innings of six hit ball, yet he found his team trailing 2-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh against Sault Ste. Marie.

His team then rallied to tie it at 2-2 after Derik Johnson's single scored Levi Stugelmeyer. Neubauer got his chance to be the hero and delivered a double with two outs to score Johnson from second. The win improved New Ulm Blue's record to 1-1 in the Upper Midwest Classic Friday afternoon.

"Derik Johnson did a really nice job today with the big hit," Neubauer said. "He really carried the team with his hits."

Neubauer said it was hard to get any big hits off Sault Ste. Marie pitcher Don Schley. Schley went the distance, striking out four.

"He was throwing pretty hard," Neubauer said. "He had a pretty good curveball, so we just had to wait back on it and drive it. I just came in there and swung and it just went."

Neubauer allowed six hits and struck out four.

"They had some good hitters; they hit well," Neubauer said. "I just stayed away from them had my boys make the plays in the field."

Sault Ste. Marie took a 1-0 lead in the first after Adam Blaskowski singled and took second on a passed ball. He scored on Bill Alderson's single. After two runners reached, Neubauer got out of the inning with a strikeout, flyout and a grounder to short.

Blue had a chance to score in the fourth inning after Johnson led off with a single and Neubauer followed with another hit. A sacrifice bunt by Andy Boyle moved up both runners, but Johnson was thrown out at home trying to score on a grounder to second. Blue stranded two runners in the inning.

"We weren't getting the hits, and we weren't even hitting the ball hard with runners on base," New Ulm coach Rob Geistfeld said. "I'm glad they hung in there and kept their heads in the game. They showed some heart and came out and hit the ball hard [in the seventh]."

Sault St. Marie added a run in the fifth. Kurt Hampton singled and took second on a sac bunt before moving to third on a passed ball. He scored on Mark Schley's single to make it 2-0. Blue almost scored again in the sixth, but with runners on first and third, Jon Koeckeritz hit a grounder to short.

New Ulm started its winning rally in the seventh after Brett Burgau reached on an error. Stugelmeyer walked and Landon Rewitzer's sac bunt moved them up 90 feet. With one out, Bryan Kamm hit a grounder to short, scoring Burgau. Johnson followed with a single to the gap in left center that Blaskowski just missed in a diving effort, scoring Stugelmeyer.

Neubauer followed with his game-winning RBI.

Blue (5-6) plays at 11 a.m. today against Omaha at Johnson Park and then at 5 p.m. against Sioux Falls East at Johnson Park.