Kaiserhoff outlasts Le Sueur

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- In Wednesday night's 11-4 win over Marshall, six of the New Ulm Kaiserhoff's 10 hits were for extra bases.

Thursday night, that "extra base" ability came through again as New Ulm bats pounded out 14 hits -- seven of those good for extra bases -- in a 10-6 win over Le Sueur in a non-league game.

Aaron Heitzman picked up the win for New Ulm (14-5) going seven innings, striking out nine and giving up five runs. Brian Raabe finished up allowing one run on two hits.

Levi Becker took the loss for Le Sueur (16-16 overall) in relief of starter Joe Driscoll, who went 2 1/3 innings and gave up five runs.

Brady Ranweiler led the green and gold attack, going 3-for-5 with two doubles and a solo home run. He drove in two runs and scored three.

Tom Steinbach, Landon Rathmann and Josh Hinson each had two hits, with Hinson belting a pair of home runs and driving in four runs.

Frank Bigawette was 3-for-4 for the Braves.

New Ulm's next game is Saturday night when they host Dundas at 7:30. It will also be the beginning of "Fan Appreciation Weekend" at Johnson Park. Raabe will play in that game.

The Braves, who are 7-9 in the Carver Central League, would score two runs in the first off the lefthanded Heitzman. Becker reached on a one out error before Mike Milam and Bigawette each drew walks to load the bases. RBI singles by Driscoll and Lenny Milless gave the Braves a 2-0 lead.

New Ulm went down in order in the first off the 49-year old Driscoll before knotting the game in the second. Brady Ranweiler led off the inning with a home run to left field and Hinson's two-out dinger, his first of the game, tied it at 2-2.

The Kaiserhoff then put an end to Driscoll's pitching night in the third. Ryan Ellwein doubled, stole third and scored on Raabe's base hit to left. A fielder's choice, a steal of second and Brady Ranweiler's double made it a 4-2 Kaiserhoff lead. Tom Steinbach's single brought in Becker, who allowed a Rathmann sacrifice fly to up the lead to 5-2.

The Braves used a two-out tally in the fifth to take one run off the Kaiserhoff lead. Milam singled and scored on Bigawette's triple to right field.

But the "K" would respond. After Keenan was retired, Brady Ranweiler hit his second double of the game and a Steinbach bloop single to right moved him to third.

Rathmann's single scored Ranweiler before Hinson connected for his second home run of the game with a shot over the fence in left and a 9-3 lead.

Milless' two run single in the seventh cut the lead to 9-5, but New Ulm countered with a single run in the bottom of the inning when Hinson reached on a fielder's choice, swiped second and went to third on a Cory Ranweiler base hit. Lee Brandel's single scored Hinson.

Becker's single in the eighth inning off Raabe produced the final margin.

LESUEUR 200 010 210 -- 6 13 0

NEW ULM 023 040 10x -- 10 14 1

WP--Heitzman, LP--Becker. 2B--Ellwein (NU), B.Ranweiler 2 (NU), Keenan (NU), Johnson (L). 3B--Bigawette (L). HR--B. Ranweiler (NU), Hinson 2 (NU).