Worthington eliminates Legion Blue

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- Plain and simple, when you don't get any hits, you don't win.

New Ulm Legion Blue mustered only four hits and stranded 11 runners on base -- six of them in scoring position -- and saw their season end with a 4-3 loss to Worthington Sunday afternoon in a Second District American Legion elimination game.

Joe Peters took the loss for New Ulm Blue which saw their 2002 season come to a conclusion with an 8-11 mark.

The lefthanded Peters did well on the mound, scattering just six hits while striking out nine and walking six.

Andrew Harberts picked up the win for Worthington (18-7). Worthington will square off against Mankato (21-9) Friday at 6 p.m. in another elimination contest.

Jake Scheidt and Cole Johnson each had two hits for Worthington with Eric Pfeifer and Ethan Noble both belting doubles. Noble drove in two Worthington runs.

New Ulm Blue coach Paul Buboltz stated the obvious after the disappointing season-ending loss. "We just left too many runners on base," he said. "What it comes down to is that we had baserunners on second and third (twice) in the game but we could not get a key hit to get them in. That is what this game came down to -- if we get a hit here or there, it is a different game. I don't think that it is even a close game."

New Ulm Blue totaled only 13 hits in 21 innings in the tournament.

Worthington used a pair of doubles by Cole Johnson and Eric Pfeifer, coupled with a wild pitch and an infield groundout, to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

New Ulm Blue put together a serious scoring threat in the bottom of the second inning without the assistance of a hit.

Adam Prochniak led off with a walk and, one out later, John Knisley reached on a free pass.

Joe Peters loaded the bases when he was hit by a Harberts' offering with only one out.

But the righrhanded Harberts struck out both Adam Hoscheit and Matt Suess to end the threat.

Blue cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth but again left a runner stranded in scoring position.

Prochniak walked and a Nate Carroll single to center placed him at second. A Knisley grounder back to Harberts forced Prochniak at third. Joe Peters reached on an error by firstaseman Eric Pfeifer to load the bases. Carroll trotted home on an opposite field single to left by Hoscheit.

Knisley was then retired when Suess missed a suicide squeeze bunt and then ended the inning when he flew out to centerfield.

"We miss that squeeze bunt -- I was deciding whether to do it or not with the bases loaded," commented Buboltz. "I figured that we had not really been hitting the ball at all and we needed to get a run in any way that we could."

Worthington added two runs -- both unearned -- in the fifth inning to gain a 4-1 lead.

Jake Scheidt singled and Cole Johnson reached on a bunt single. Pfeifer followed with a ground ball to second baseman Nate Carroll who bobbled the groundball and then could not find the handle as the bases became loaded.

Sacrifice flys by Noble and Andrew Harberts gave Worthington that three-run lead.

Blue notched another run in the fifth inning. Derik Johnson singled with one out and stole second before taking third on a throwing error by catcher Joey Rezek. Mark Rolloff walked before Johnson came home when Harberts uncorked a wild pitch with Rolloff scampering to third. But a strikeout and a groundout cooled the threat.

New Ulm plated their final run of the game -- and of their season -- in the bottom of the seventh after two were out. Prochniak reached on an error and Carroll was hit by a pitch. Prochniak scored on Knisley's single to rightfield.

"We did not hit the ball all tournament,"Buboltz said. "That hurt us at the end today. But we did have a good comeback at the end -- we were one hit away from tying the game."

WORTHINGTON 200-020-0=4-6-3

NEW ULM BLUE 000-110-0=3-4-1

WP: Haberts.LP: Peters.

MANKATO 16, WABASSO 1 (Five innings)

Mankato pounded out 15 hits -- including home runs from Adan Sorenson Aaron Madson and two from Mitch Salsbery -- as the ran by Wabasso 16-1 in an elimination game.

Mike Woodward picked up the two-hit win and struck out seven.

Tom VanLoy took the loss for Wabasso, which finished their season at 14-7, giving up nine runs in 1 2/.3 innings of work.

Madson, DanUmhoefer, and Salsbery all had three hit games. Salsbert drove in six runs with Adam Sorenson driving in four. Madson and Mike Waltman both drove in two.

Tom VanLoy and Luke Guetter had the Wabasso hits.

Mitch Salsbery got Mankato (21-9) going with a three-run first inning home run.

Adam Sorenson made that lead 7-0 in the second when he blasted a grandslam home run.

Salsbery's second home run of the game -- this a two-run shot in the third -- saw Post 11 with an 11-0 lead.

Wabasso broke through for their only run in the fourth on an Adam Schumacher sacrifice fly.

Post 11 would push five runs across in the bottom of the fourth.. Two runs came on an Aaron Madson home run. A Salsbery RBI double, a sacrifice fly and an RBI single ended the scoring.

WABASSO 000-10= 1- 2-0

MANKATO 362-5X= 16-15-1

WP: Woodward. LP: VanLoy.2B: Madson (M), VanLoy (W). Umhoefer (M), L:aFavor (M), Salsbery (M). HR: Salsbery 2 (M), Sorenson (M), Madson (M).