Gold

downs

Blue Earth

BY JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

JACKSON -- The New Ulm Legion Gold express kept on rolling in the Second District American Legion baseball tournament with a 10-0 whitewash of Blue Earth in the winner's bracket.

The game was called after five innings because of the 10-run lead rule.

Ryan Walters got the pitching win for Gold (16-12). He went all five innings and struck out eight while allowing six hits.

John Roessler took the loss for Blue Earth, going four-plus innings and being charged with all 10 runs.

Joey Schugel went 3-for-3 and scoring three runs. Scott O'Brien, Brandon Reinarts and Isaac Larson each had two hit, including a home run for Larson.

Gold will play Saturday at 1 p.m. for the Second District crown against an opponent not yet determined.

Gold scored two runs off the left-handed Roessler in the second when Joey Schugel singled and went to third on an errant pick-off throw by Roessler. He scored on a wild pitch. Isaac Larson followed with a single, went to second on a Micade Thordson sacrifice bunt and came home on Craig Spelbrink's single.

Gold added four more runs in the third. John Enter doubled and Mitch Stueber walked. A Schugel single scored Enter and a double steal plated Stueber for a 4-0 lead. Schugel went to third on an error before Isaac Larson hammered a Roessler pitch deep over the fence in left for a 6-0 cushion.

New Ulm ended the game in the bottom of the fifth with four runs. Schugel reached on his third hit of the game and Larson reached on an error by Roessler. A Micade Thordson single upped the lead to 7-0. An error and a Brandon Reinarts' single increased Gold's lead to 8-0.

An error, the fourth of the game by Blue Earth, permitted Thordson to score, and a Scott O'Brien single to center plated Reinarts with the 10th run of the contest and brought the game to a halt.

BLUE EARTH 000-00=0-6-3

NEW ULM GOLD 024-04=10-13-0

WP:Walters.LP:Roessler. 2B:Enter (NU). HR:Larson (NU).

SLEEPY EYE 6,

EAGLE LAKE 5

(8 INNINGS)

Steve Geschwin drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth inning to score Cole Deible from third and keep Sleepy Eye alive with an extra inning win over Eagle Lake.

The loss eliminates Eagle Lake, the second seed in the tourney.

Ben Kaus took the loss for Eagle Lake. Jim Eckstein was the winning pitcher.

Sleepy Eye will face Mankato in an elimination game on Friday with the winner to meet Blue Earth in another elimination contest.

Those games will begin on Friday at 2:30 and 5 p.m. in Jackson.