Brewers stir up tie-breaker in eighth

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- The New Ulm Brewers scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to break a 4-4 tie and went on to top Sleepy Eye 8-4 Tuesday night in Tomahawk East League play.

Ryan Walters was credited with the win for New Ulm in relief of starter Chris Peters, who went the first six innings and allowed all four Indian runs.

Dean Brinkman was tagged with the loss, being charged with six runs in 7 1/3 innings of work.

Troy Kamm led the 14-hit New Ulm attack with three hits including a double. Peters, Travis Thorson, Jason Rewitzer and Ryan Walters each had two hits, with Walters aiding his own cause with two RBIs.

While it was a big win for New Ulm, it appeared that it would be the Indians' night early on.

Sleepy Eye notched two runs off of Peters in the second inning. Josh Hadley led off with the first of his two doubles on the night and Kelly Krzmarzick was hit by a pitch. Brian Sieve's sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position and Logan Schweiss delivered a clutch two-run double.

The Indians put some more distance between themselves and the Brewers in the third inning with two more runs. Cody Walter singled with one out and scored on Hadley's second double of the game. Krzmarzick's single to right field allowed Hadley to score.

But those would be the last runs that the Indians would score as they could only muster one hit the rest of the way -- a two-out infield single by Brian Hertling in the top of the ninth.

The Brewers, who had stranded three runners in the first two innings, got to the veteran right-handed Brinkman in the fourth with two outs. Kamm stroked a double to right field and scored on a Corey Schaefer single. Rewitzer and Scott Schaefer followed with singles to load the bases, but Brinkman responded by getting Scott O'Brien to fly out to end the inning.

New Ulm cut the lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth. Thorson singled and raced to third on a Kamm bunt single down third and an ensuing throwing error by third baseman Hertling.

Rewitzer's base hit scored Thorson.

The Brewers then knotted the game in the bottom of the seventh with two runs. Peters scored on an Indian error on a Corey Schaefer ground ball before Tom Steinbach legged it home on a Ryan Walters' single.

The third and fourth Sleepy Eye errors of the night set the stage for the four run eighth inning by New Ulm.

Landon Rathmann reached on an infield error at third and Peters walked ending Brinkman's night.

Andy Konz relived Brinkman and allowed an RBI single by Steinbach for a 5-4 lead. A wild pitch moved both runners up, Thorson singled to center to score Peters, and when the ball bounced by Hadley in center field, Steinbach scored for a 7-4 lead.

Walters then delivered his second RBI single of the night for the eighth New Ulm run of the night.