Brewers edge Blue Sox, 4-3

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Chris Peters' lead-off home run in the bottom of the sixth inning ignited a four-run rally that pushed the New Ulm Brewers past the Minneapolis Blue Sox 4-3 Friday night at Johnson Park. Peters then closed out the game in the ninth inning with two runners on base for the Blue Sox.

Scott O'Brien was the winning pitcher for New Ulm, going 7 2-3 innings and striking out four. He allowed three runs on 11 hits while fanning five. Peters took over and allowed two hits while fanning two.

Travis Roth took the loss for the Blue Sox. In seven innings, the left-hander allowed all four runs on nine hits while recording three strike outs.

Jeff Rude pitched the final inning for the Blue Sox.

Peters and Tony Burt each had two hits for New Ulm. Burt had a double.

Rod Teichroew led the Blue Sox with a 4-for-5 performance at the plate. He had a single, a double and a triple. Travis Roth added three hits and Bob Hatcher had a double and a home run as Minneapolis outhit the Brewers 13-10.

The Blue Sox, with four former New Ulm baseball players, used one swing of the bat to take a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Hatcher tattooed a 1-0 O'Brien pitch over the fence in left field.

The Brewers had threatened in the bottom of the first inning when Phil Clennon rapped a two-out single. Peters followed with a base hit to left and Scott Schaefer received a walk from Roth to load the bases.

But Roth got O'Brien to fly out to center to end the inning.

The Brewers, who will host Redwood Falls at 2 p.m. Sunday, mounted a threat off Roth in the second inning when Burt led off with a double to center and stole third one out later. But Roth again stiffened, striking out Jeremy Wieland before retiring Corey Schaefer on a ground out.

New Ulm continued to threaten in the third and fourth innings, but Roth managed to escape damage in both innings. But in the sixth, New Ulm took the lead for good.

Peters started the inning by crushing the first pitch from Roth deep over both fences in left field to knot the game at 1.

One out later, O'Brien singled. Burt followed by reaching on an error by Teichroew at shortstop to put runners on first and second with one out. After a popout for the second out of the inning, Wieland's slow-rolling ground ball to third baseman Scott VanEps caromed of his glove and into short left field, allowing O'Brien to score.

Schaefer's looping single brought in Burt for a 3-1 lead and Troy Kamm's bad-hop single over the head of second baseman Tony Bowar gave New Ulm a 4-1 cushion.

But the Blue Sox crawled back with two runs in the eighth off O'Brien as Teichroew led off with a double. A ground out moved Teichroew to third and a Roth base hit scored him.

Singles by Corey Stolte and Nathan Quale cut the lead to 4-3 and brought in Peters, who got the final out of the eighth inning with the tying run on third.

MPLS BLUE SOX 010 000 020--3 13 2

NU BREWERS 000 004 00x--4 10 0