Wabasso stomps early Blue lead, win 10-1

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- It was not the way that New Ulm Legion Blue coach Paul Buboltz wanted his team to play.

Wabasso scored five runs in the top of the third inning and then salted the win away with four insurance runs in the seventh as Post 263 defeated New Ulm Blue 10-1 Friday in the opening round of the Second District American Legion Baseball Tournament.

Adam Schumacher took credit for the win for Wabasso ( 14-5) with the complete game performance. He struck out three and scattered four hits.

Mark Rolloff took the loss for New Ulm Blue (8-9), going six innings and allowing nine runs on 11 hits.

Tom VanLoy led the 11-hit attack going 3-for-4 with three RBI. Travis Kottke and Adam Schumacher each had two hits with Schumacher blasting a third inning, three-run home run.

Mark Rolloff had two of New Ulm's four hits with Nate Carroll driving in Blue's only run.

"We did not want to come out and play like we did," said Blue coach Paul Buboltz. "I don't know if we were flat, but we did not come ready to play."

New Ulm took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning. Matt Suess was hit by a pitch, but was forced at second on a Adam Hoscheit groundball. Derik Johnson walked and a Mark Rolloff single loaded the bases. Nate Carroll's two out walk -- one of only two issued by Schumacher in the game -- lifted Blue to a 1-0 lead.

But Wabasso, who had left three runners on base in the first two innings, scored five times in the top of the third. Nathan Baune doubled with one out and scored on Travis Kottke's two-out single. Base hits by Dan Mathiowetz and Tom VanLoy -- the third straight single in the inning -- made it 2-1 before Adam Schumacher unloaded on Rolloff's first offering, sending it over the fence in left for a 5-1 lead.

That realistically was all that Schmuacher needed as he permitted only three more hits the rest of the way.

"We hit the ball hard but a lot of them were right at their players," Buboltz said. "But you cannot do much about that. And that seemed to frustrate the players."

Post 263 added a single run in the fifth when Matt Samyn singled, took second on a Kottke groundout. Dan Mathiowetz reached when leftfielder Adam Hoscheit dropped his fly ball before Wabasso pulled off a successful double steal.

Wabasso then scored four more runs in the top of the seventh. Tom VanLoy's double scored two, a Keith Baune double added another run with the final run trotting home on on a bases-loaded hit by pitch by reliever Joe Peters.

WABASSO 005-010-4=10-13-0

NEW ULM BLUE 100-000-0=1-4-3

WP: Schmuacher. LP: Rolloff.