Brewers overpower Leavenworth, 12-2

BY JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- One of the mindsets that teams want to establish, especially in playoffs, is early domination.

Saturday night, the New Ulm Brewers did just that.

New Ulm jumped to a 7-0 lead after two innings and then coasted to a 12-2 win over Leavenworth in the first game of the best-of-five Section 2C playoffs.

The game was halted after in the seventh inning when the 10-run rule went into effect.

Game two is tonight in Leavenworth at 8 p.m., with the third game back at Johnson Park Tuesday night.

Terry Helget, a draftee from Essig, got the pitching win, allowing only six hits while recording seven strikeouts.

Dayton Larson, drafted from Hanska, was tagged with the loss for Leavenworth, going five innings. He was charged with 10 runs on 10 hits, striking out two as he threw 101 pitches.

Scott Schaefer led New Ulm with three hits and drove in three runs, two coming on a third inning home run. Brad Weber and Chris Peters both had two hits.

"The last couple of games, we have been hitting the ball well," said Brewer manager Chris Peters. In a 7-0 win over St. James Thursday, Brewer bats totaled nine hits. "Plus, we have been getting off to a good start; and we have found a lead-off hitter in Corey Schaefer who is doing a good job for us."

It was Schaefer who got the BrewCrew rolling in the first inning when he drew a walk from Larson, one of five free passes given by the righthander. After Larson retired Brad Weber and Scott Schaefer, Peters blooped a single to right to move Schaefer to third.

Both Schaefer and Peters scored on leftfielder Todd Hoffmann's double to deep centerfield for a 2-0 lead. Hoffmann scored the third New Ulm run of the inning on a single.

New Ulm added four more runs in the second off of Larson when Troy Kamm led off with a walk. Corey Schaefer's sacrifice bunt moved him to second before Brad Weber, who entered the game hitting a robust .544, tripled to rightfield on an 0-1 Larson pitch for a 4-0 lead. Weber did not get cobwebs at second as he scored when Scott Schaefer singled on Larson's first pitch. A passed ball and a groundout saw Schaefer standing on third. Hoffmann, down in the count to Larson 0-2, worked him for a walk before they both scored on a double for a 7-0 lead.

"Brad (Weber) drives back and forth (from Monticello) for our games this year and we are glad that he does; he is really hitting the ball," said Peters.

That would be all that veteran pitcher Terry Helget would need as he permitted only single runs in the third and sixth inning to the Orioles, who advanced to play the Brewers by upsetting regular season National Division champion Redwood Falls.

Randy Armbruster's RBI single in the third scored Jason Nachreiner who started the inning with a base hit and Jody Beltz' leadoff home run in the sixth accounted for all of the Leavenworth runs.

"Terry is a great player all-around," commented Peters. "He hits the ball well, is a great pitcher and catcher and we are happy to have him on our team."

The Brewers responded to the first Oriole score in the third inning, scoring two runs after Larson had set down the first two hitters of the inning.

Corey Schaefer walked, stole second and went to third on a passed ball. He came home on Weber's base hit to center. Scott Schaefer followed by putting a charge into Larson's first pitch, sending it over the fence in leftfield for a 10-1 lead.

Leading 10-2 in the bottom of the seventh, the Brewers scored two runs without the aid of a hit.

Kamm was hit by a one-out pitch by reliever Dan Schwartz who took over for Larson in the sixth inning. Bruce Jacobs, running for Kamm, went to second and third on two wild pitches. Corey Schaefer walked for the third time in the game. A fielder's choice scored one run and an error on the same play brought the game to a close.

"If we keep playing like we have been, we can contend for the (Sectional) title," commented Peters who said that he will send either Cole Deibele, a draftee from Stark, or Ryan Walters.

LEAVENWORTH 001-001-0= 2- 6-1

NU BREWERS 343-000-2=12-11-0

WP: Terry Helget. LP: Dayton Larson.