Legion Gold advances

with win over Fairmont

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

FAIRMONT -- In tournament games, it doesn't matter how pretty the win is as long as it is a win.

Top-ranked New Ulm Legion Gold pieced together single runs in four innings and right-hander Andy Stolt made it hold up as New Ulm squeaked by Fairmont Post 36 4-1 Friday afternoon in the first round of the Second District American Legion tournament.

Stolt fanned four and allowed five hits in improving his season mark to 4-2. He walked two.

Southpaw Mike Berhow was touched for the loss for Post 36, now 5-13.

Eric Austvold and Joey Schugel both had two hits for New Ulm Gold with the left-handed hitting Austvold driving in two runs.

New Ulm (27-3) will meet the Eagle Lake/Lamberton winner at 7:30 today in Fairmont.

"It was a well-pitched game," said Gold coach Dave Kunz. "Their pitcher had a (game) plan and he stayed with it. And we did not adjust to his style of pitching very well."

That style of pitching from Berhow was to throw a lot of off-speed pitches, spot his stuff and occasionally throw a fastball.

Meanwhile Stolt, who finished with 107 pitches in the contest, held Fairmont to only two hits through four innings, but did not have his best stuff.

"He struggled at times, but he came back when he needed to and did a nice job," commented Kunz.

New Ulm scored a run in the first inning after two were out when Jamie Hoffmann reached on a fielder's choice and John Enter worked Berhow for a walk. Schugel followed with a ground ball to Fairmont third baseman Mike Haycraft, who fielded the ball cleanly. But his throw to second baseman Tyler Paskey went into right field and allowed Hoffmann to score.

Gold added another run in the second inning as Craig Spelbrink led off with a walk and Rob Geistfeld easily beat out a perfect bunt to put New Ulm runners on first and second with none out.

But with Dusty Wilfahrt at the plate, Fairmont first baseman Chris Anderson snuck in behind Geistfeld at first and Geistfeld was caught off first. He avoided the rundown, but Spelbrink was nailed at third on the play.

That proved to cost New Ulm a precious run as one out later, Austvold singled to right to bring in Geistfeld as Gold built the lead to 2-0.

Gold then mounted a threat in the third inning when Enter was plunked by a Berhow pitch with one out. A Schugel single moved Enter to third to put New Ulm runners at the corners with only one out.

But Berhow retired Travis Thorson and Spelbrink to end the threat.

Post 36 then mounted its first serious scoring threat in the top of the fourth inning. Berhow led off with a double and went to third on a one-out passed ball with two out.

Stolt then kept Fairmont off the board when he got Aaron DeBerg to ground out to end the inning.

New Ulm increased that lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the inning when Geistfeld reached on an error. Dusty Wilfahrt's sacrifice bunt moved Geistfeld to second and an Austvold double plated Geistfeld.

Fairmont broke through on Stolt for its only run in the fifth on a Derek Goerndt single. A ground out and Haycraft's base hit got Post 36 on the board.

Gold scored its final run of the game in the fifth as Schugel led off with a triple and scored on Thorson's sacrifice fly.

"Their pitcher did a nice job and that was one reason that we left (nine) runners on base in the game," said Kunz. "But we had some people come through when we need it and we got the win."

FAIRMONT 000 010 0--1 5 3

NEW ULM GOLD 110 110 x--4 6 0