Rochester defeats Kaiserhoff

BY JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM - When you are the team that has struggled in your last three games, doing all "the little things" becomes more important than ever.

Thursday night, the inability to do those small but significant things sent the New Ulm Kaiserhoff to its fourth straight Southern Minny League loss as they fell to Rochester 3-2.

Lefthander Mark Skrukrud captured the win for the front-running Royals (6-1; 14-6) going the distance and striking out 13. He allowed seven hits.

Righthander Aaron Dolan gave the Kaiserhoff their second straight strong pitching performance. Following Andy Stolt's eight hit outing against Mankato, Dolan matched Skrukrud as he also allowed seven hits in seven innings of work. Ryan Wellmann pitched the final two innings and set the Royals down in order.

Joe Magee and Blake Kangas paced the Royals with two hits each

Cory Ranweiler accounted for three of the Kaiserhoff hits with Lance Buck finishing with two hits. Buck and Brady Ranweiler each doubled for the Kaiserhoff who will host Marshall tonight at 7:30 p.m.

'Right now, we are not doing the little things that we need to do to beat teams like Rochester," said Kaiserhoff player-manager Brady Ranweiler. "The pitcher that we faced tonight has lost two 1-0 games this year. We cannot afford not to do the little things against a pitcher like him."

One of the "little things" cost the Kaiserhoff a run in the opening inning when, after Joe Magee slapped a one out single and eventually reached third on a stolen base and groundout, Dolan went to a 1-2 count on Joe Duda before hitting him. That would hurt as Blake Kangas followed with an RBI single to center for a 1-0 Royal lead.

Rochester threatened in the top of the third when Travis Krahn led off with a double. After Magee flew out, Adam Gust singled to center and when Krahn tried to score on the single,he was gunned down at home on a throw from centerfielder Josh Hinson to catcher Ryan Ortiz.

Rochester added a run in the fifth after two were out.

Krahn reached on a fielding error by shortstop Joey Schugel and would score on a Magee double to rightfield for a 2-0 lead.

They would tack on another run for a 3-0 lead in the sixth. Joe Duda doubled, went to third on a Kangas single and scored on a double play.

The Kaiserhoff, who did not get a runner past first in the first five innings, put together a threat in the sixth when Lance Buck and Cory Ranweiler singled to start the inning. But they would be stranded there as Skrukrud recorded two strikeouts and a comebacker to end the inning.

New Ulm would finally get to the southpaw in the eighth. Buck doubled with one out and scored on an error Cory Ranweiler's groundball. Cory Ranweiler scored when older brother Brady doubled him home and a Landon Rathmann bloop single moved him to third.

But a foul pop on a third strike squeeze bunt attempt and a strikeout ended the final threat for the Kaiserhoff.

"This loss is not that big," said Ranweiler. "The games with the Mankatos and Waseca and tonight's game with Marshall are big because they are in our section. We need to get our better pitchers going against those teams because when it comes down to our playoffs ‹ a best of three series ‹ you want to have the first and possible third games at home. To get the one or two seed is huge. That is why (tonight's) game with Marshall is big."

ROCHESTER 100-011-000=3-7-3

KAISERHOFF 000-000-020=2-7-1

WP: Skrukrud.. LP: Dolan.