Junior Legion punishes Blue EarthMosenden earns shutout in two-hitter to advance

By JEN SEAVEY

Journal Sports Editor

FAIRMONT -- The New Ulm Junior Legion decided Monday they wanted to catapult themselves into the district tournament.

After just slipping past St. James 3-2 and Fairmont 5-4 in 10 innings the last two days of the VFW Southwest Sub-district tournament, the Jr. Legion pounded a listless Blue Earth 12-0 in five innings Monday at Cardinal Park.

"The whole week, we've been facing pitchers like this guy," New Ulm first baseman Gary Wilfahrt said. Wilfahrt went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and a run scored. "And coach said, for once, let's just bury a team, and everybody just did their thing."

Especially New Ulm pitcher Brady Mosenden.

Mosenden (6-1) threw three innings of no-hit ball, giving up one base hit in the fourth inning to Dan Franta, and one in the fifth to Nate Varnis. Mosenden walked one batter and struck out four.

"Brady has done an excellent job all year -- he has the best control of anybody I've seen at this age," Wilfahrt said. "I heard the first base coach said this [umpire's] got a real small zone, and I thought that's not a problem since we've got Brady."

"I was just out there trying to throw strikes and not walk people," Mosenden said. "When they did hit it, [I tried to] let the defense do the job, and they did do the job."

On the other side of the book, New Ulm racked up 11 hits and batted around in three of the four innings.

"We haven't been hitting as well in this tournament as we were earlier in the year," Wilfahrt said. "Maybe it's just shown up."

In the first inning, Matt Pryor, Andy Kitzberger, Jonathon Curry, Tom Fischer and Wilfahrt each had singles, and Jon Suess and Makele Penkert were hit by pitches. Designated hitter Dan Drexler walked. All but Penkert and Wilfahrt scored to give the Jr. Legion a 6-0 lead after the first.

Dan Drexler led off the third with a single, Penkert was hit by a pitch and Wilfahrt had a single. Suess and Kitzberger hit all three home for a 9-0 lead.

In the fourth, two singles and another hit batsman were helped by three Blue Earth errors as Fischer, Drexler and Penkert scored for the 12-0 final.

Kitzberger went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and Drexler went 2-for-2 with an RBI and three runs.

"Hopefully this carries momentum over to districts in Hutch," Wilfahrt said.

The Jr. Legion (22-9) will play Rosemount at 3 p.m. Friday at Hutchinson in District 2 play.

"Now that we won this game, at districts, we play the runner-up," Mosenden said. "If we would have been the runner-up, we would've played the champions of the other district. It helps us out a lot."