Legion Blue tops Redwood in 1st

game, teams tied

in second game

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- New Ulm Legion Blue won their first game with Redwood Falls 9-3 and was tied 6-6 in the sixth inning of the second game of a Second District American Legion playoff series when this edition of The Journal went to press Monday night.

If New Ulm wins the second game, they advance to play Mankato at 8 p.m. Friday in Jackson in the first round of the Second District Tournament. If Redwood Falls wins the second game, a third and deciding game will be played today at Redwood Falls. Time of that game was unavailable at press time.

New Ulm took a 3-0 lead in the second game on a Rob Geistfeld single, a wild pitch by Jason Junker and an error.

Redwood Falls plated four runs off Blue starter Jeff Reiter on a Clint Meyers' RBI triple, an error and a Mike Yjro run-scoring single. A double steal brought in the fourth run of the inning.

Redwood Falls added another run in the second on a wild pitch with New Ulm also adding a run in that inning on a Redwood Falls' error.

Redwood Falls then scored three runs on one hit in the third on a single, three walks, a ground out and a passed ball.

But Blue knotted the game in the sixth when Matt Schmidt walked, followed by singles by Dan Johnson and Geistfeld. Walks to Paul Yager and Nate Braun added two more runs before a passed ball and a Hans Biebl sacrifice fly tied the game.

NEW ULM 9, REDWOOD FALLS 3

Joey Penkert pitched the first-game win for Blue, striking out six and giving up four hits.

Yjro took the loss for Redwood Falls.

Mike Grossmann, Braun and Joey Penkert all had two hits with Grossmann and Paul Yager each driving in two runs.

Redwood Falls would score two unearnedruns on an error by Blue in the third inning. Yjro was hit by a pitch and Curt Meyers walked. Brady Hagert's fly ball to right field was dropped by Travis Boddy to allow both runners to score.

Blue pushed four runs across in the bottom of the inning. Matt Schmidt singled and Grossman walked. A fly-ball out moved Schmidt to third before Yager tripled to center for two runs.

Braun's double scored Yager and Braun would score on an error.

Jason Schmitz singled to start the fouth inning and would later score on a Grossmann single.

New Ulm tacked on four more runs in the fifth. Braun walked and Boddy singled. Both runners scored when a Biebl sacrifice bunt was turned into a three-base error.

Schmitz sacrifice fly scored Biebl. Singles by Penkert and Grossmann made it 9-3.

Redwood Falls scored a run in the top of the seventh when Junker doubled and scored on an error.