Helget pitches Essig to playoff win over Brewers

BY JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- In Essig's 13-3 loss to Sleepy Eye, Travis Walden and Kyle Helget -- Essig's first two hitters in their line-up -- went 0-for-6.

Saturday night, that same duo went a combined 5-for-6 with three runs scored and an RBI as Essig topped the New Uln Brewers 4-2 in Section 2C round robin playoffs.

Terry Helget was the winning pitcher for Essig in a complete-game effort. The veteran player fanned seven while allowing eight hits.

Darrin Haala, a draftee from Stark, took the loss allowing all four runs -- three of them unearned -- while striking out five.

Travis Walden led the Essig offense with three hits in five at-bats and scored two runs. Kyle Helget and Terry Helget each had two hits.

"We knew that we had to get something going tonight," Walden said, who had a triple and two singles for his night's work. "I don't know if we (Walden and Helget) are the sparkplugs of the team. We all have our nights. Tonight, myself and Kyle had it going."

Walden would get the Essig offense going in the top of the first when he singled to left and stole second. Walden raced home on Kyle Helget's double to center. Two outs later, Kyle Helget scored the second run when Larry Haala's groundball to shortstop Troy Kamm went under his glove for a 2-0 lead.

The Brewers, who play this afternoon at Lamberton in a 3 p.m. game, cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Chris Peters drew a one-out walk and went to third on a Tom Steinbach single. Troy Kamm's two-out single to right scored Peters.

But the Bluejays, who host Sleepy Eye at 2 p.m.today, countered that in the top of the fifth inning courtesy of Walden and Helget. Walden stroked a lead-off triple and scored on Helget's second double of the game for a 3-1 lead.

"Travis has been swinging a hot bat for us," Essig manager Doug Radloff said. "And Kyle has been swinging a good bat all year. Everyone has games where they do not do a lot but it is regional time and they will step up and hit the ball well."

While Walden and Helget were making the most of their scoring chances, the Brewers were letting their threats go by the wayside. After scoring a run in the fourth, New Ulm would place runners on first and third with two outs in the sixth and fail to score.

In the seventh, Corey Schaefer rapped a one-out single and Scott Schaefer reached on an error by shortstop Kyle Helget. After a strikeout, Landon Rathmann singled in Corey Schaefer but failed to score anymore runs.

In the eighth, Steinbach led-off with a double and was sacrificed to third by Travis Thorson. But Steinbach was held there as Helget struck out both Kamm and Darrin Haala to end the inning.

"Terry moved the ball around a lot -- threw some off-speed stuff," said Peters." He kept us off-stride but we should have hit the ball."

Essig added an insurance run compliments of two more Brewer errors.

Radloff said that Helget's performance is nothing new.

"He has pitched well for us all year and last year also. Tonight, he shutdown a great hitting lineup. Hats off to Terry. He pitched one hell of a game."

ESSIG 200-010-001=4-9-1

BREWERS 000-100-100+2-8-3

WP: Terry Helget. LP: Darrin Haala. 2B: K. Helget 2 (E), Steinbach (NU). 3B: Walden (E).