Amateur regular season ends with excitement

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- It was the kind of Sunday in amateur baseball that baseball fans wanted.

Two division titles were decided on the last day of the regular season.

Lamberton captured the National Division crown when they beat Stark 1-0 and Sleepy Eye edged Hanska 4-3.

The American Division title was shared when the New Ulm Brewers squeaked by Essig 3-2 in 12 innings.

The contest in Essig was one that could have gone either way with a hit here or there.

The Brewers scored a run in the first inning but left the bases loaded when starter Jacob Mertz set down the final two New Ulm outs of the inning with the bases loaded.

Essig stranded two runners on base in the bottom of the inning as Brewer starter Tony Burt worked out of a jam.

The Brewers stranded runners in scoring position in the third, the sixth (when they did score a run) and the eighth.

Essig left runners in scoring position in the first, fourth (when Mitch Stueber doubled by remained there), the seventh inning and the eighth when they did score a run to tie the game a 2-2. but left runners on first and second.

The Jays had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the 10th, putting the winning run on second base with one out before the Brewers' Chris Peters got the next two outs on a strikeout and a fly out.

This was a big win for the Brewers, who had lost two straight games to Leavenworth and Prior Lake Mudcats, and got some confidence back with the victory that tied them for a share of the American Division title.

"This was a big win and it guaranteed us a first round bye (in the Tomahawk East League playoffs)," said Peters. "We either take first or second depending on what they do -- they may use a coin flip to determine the champion."

The time off -- the Brewers first playoff game will not be until Friday, July 25 at Mueller Park -- will help a tired pitching staff. They lost ace Tony Burt for the season on June 21 with rotator cuff surgery.

"Right now, we have some tired arms," Peter said. "We have myself, Craig Spelbrink and Tony Burt that will have to do the pitching. Hopefully we can get by with some games and get some wins."

BLUEJAYS STRONG TEAM: I have been covering amateur baseball for a long time and I believe that the 2003 Essig Bluejays are as strong a team as they have had.

They have strong pitching in Mertz, Dusty Fleck, Terry Helget, Paul Nelson and veteran Kevin Hulke.

"We went with Jacob (Sunday) because it was his turn in the rotation," Essig manager Doug Radloff said. "He has pitched well for us all year -- he beat the Brewers in New Ulm -- and we felt that he would be a good choice."

Radloff also said that getting the first round bye is a nice rest.

"We get 12 days off; we are looking to play some exhibition games -- perhaps with the New Ulm Kaiserhoff or Fairmont -- but we can use the rest and get healed up."

Radloff said that the five errors against New Ulm happened "because we had a few players out of position. We had one or two players missing, but we have had some errors this year that have haunted us. We have played pretty flawless baseball the last four or five games. Today, a few errors came out, but that is baseball."

FAN APPRECIATION DAY GOES WELL: Like New Ulm's Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday night, Essig's Fan Appreciation Day was also a success with a full house.

New Ulm and Essig are the only two towns that have Fan Appreciation Days, and they both succeed because of volunteers and sponsors who contribute to baseball.

Both New Ulm and Essig have people who really know what baseball means to a town and their people.

NACHREINER, HEITZMAN IN MINORS: Matt Nachreiner, who has relation in New Ulm, is 2-2 with the Great Falls White Sox. Nachreiner has a 9.75 ERA and has 11 strikeouts in 12 innings. Heitzman has posted a 9-6 record with the Lexington Legends (Houston Astros) of the South Atlantic League. He has a 3.43 ERA and has fanned 110 batters in 52 innings.