Big inning

rolls Gold

by Hutch

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Joe Peters' sacrifice bunt in the bottom of the sixth inning rolled only 25 feet down the third-base line.

But the ensuing throwing error by Hutchinson pitcher Nathan Lehn allowed two New Ulm baserunners to score and break a 3-all tie. VFW Gold added five more runs in the inning and went on to down Hutchinson, 10-3.

Matt Nachreiner was the winning pitcher, striking out 13 Hutchinson hitters and allowing only four hits in seven innings. Two of Hutchinson's runs were unearned.

Nathan Lehn took the loss for Hutchinson, also giving up four hits. But five errors, three in that sixth inning, were costly.

Dusty Farasyn had two hits for New Ulm with Nachreiner driving in two runs.

"We got some nice at-bats in that sixth inning" said New Ulm coach Bob Weier, who saw his team improve to 12-11 on the year. "Mitch Palmer hit the ball to the right side, Derik Johnson hits a sacrifice fly and Joe Peters' bunt ... what a picture-perfect bunt. That is called execution."

New Ulm entered that inning tied with Hutchinson before the left-handed Lehn plunked Kyle Marti to start the inning. Brad Zenk followed with a single to center, only the third hit of the game for Gold.

Peters then laid down a bunt toward third. Lehn picked up the ball, but his throw to first sailed high over the head of first baseman Andy Busch, allowing Marti and Zenk to race home and Peters to hustle to second.

"We have bunted maybe a half a dozen times all year," commented Weier. "He (Peters) did a perfect job."

A Mitch Palmer fly out to right field allowed Peters to take third and then score on a Dusty Farasyn line-drive single to center for a 6-3 lead.

Lehn walked Tyson Anderson, the fifth walk of the game for him, which ended his pitching stint.

Reliever Mike Wagner uncorked a wild pitch before walking Nachreiner to load the bases. Johnson's fly to center was dropped allowing Farasyn to score.'

The second straight error of the inning by Hutchinson permitted two more runs to score when Adam Fromm's grounder bounced off the glove of third baseman Karl Hochsprung for a 9-3 cushion. Marti's sacrifice fly plated the seventh run of the inning.

Hutchinson would grab a 2-0 lead off New Ulm in the first inning when Dave Berwald and Mike Wagner singled to put runners on first and third with one out. Wagner stole second and the throw from catcher Adam Prochniak to second was cut off by Nachreiner at the mound. Berwald had broke for home on the throw and was hung up between third and home in a rundown. But Prochniak dropped the throw on the rundown to allow Berwald to score.

Luke Klitzke followed with the third straight hit off Nachreiner to score Wagner for a 2-0 lead.

"Thay scored those (first inning runs) on a little different play in the rundown,"Weier said. "We expect our players to be able to execute that (rundown) play. At this time of the season, and at the age that they are, they should have enough experience to handle that."

New Ulm cut the lead in half in the third inning when Farasyn drove a lead-off triple to center and scored one out later on a Nachreiner sacrifice fly.

Hutchinson regained a two-run lead in the fifth on a walk., a wild pitch on a strike out, another walk and a ground out.

But New Ulm knotted the game in the fifth with two runs. One came on a Nachreiner RBI single on a 3-2 count and an error on a Derik Johnson grounder to third.

It gave Nachreiner a lot of breathing room in a game that the right-hander dominated.

"He (Nachreiner) pitched well again," Weier commented. "He is going to get his strike outs and may throw a few to many curve balls because he has the velocity to throw the ball by the hitters. He is smart and clever and he uses all of his pitches."

HUTCHINSON 200 010 0-- 3 4 5

NU VFW GOLD 001 027 x--10 4 2

W--Nachreiner. L--Lehn. 3B--New Ulm, Farasyn.