Legion Gold: two and out

Gold loses to Rochester and Coon Rapids

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

MILROY -- New Ulm Legiom Gold's 2002 baseball season came to an unexpected end Thursday afternoon as they dropped their first two games and were eliminated.

In the opening game, Coon Rapids scored six runs in the first inning and used that as a springboard for an 11-6 win. In the nighcap, Rochester parlayed four hits into a 3-0 decision over Gold.

New Ulm ends their season at 35-4.

COON RAPIDS 11,

NEW ULM GOLD 6

One thing that New Ulm coach Dave Kunz was worried about -- giving up the big inning -- came to life as Post 334 jumped to a 6-0 lead in the first inning and then plated three more runs in the fifth to regain some momentum in a 11-6 win,

Chris Cariveau (6-2) took the loss for Gold, lasting 4 2/3 innings. He was charged with 10 runs on 11 hits. Tyson Anderson came in relief and permitted one run in his 1 1/3 innings of work.

Lefthander Pat Thielke (6-1) got the win for Coon Rapids (42-8) going the distance and allowing eight hits and six runs. He struck out six.

Joey Olson led Coon Rapids at the plate, going 4-fopr-4, driving in three runs and scoring two.

Dusty Fleck matched that with his 4-for-4 plate day. He drove in two runs. Jace Marti added two hits. Fleck and Marti both had doubles for New Ulm.

"We could not avoid the big inning and we gave them to many runs, plus we had four errors,' said Gold coach Dave Kunz. "(Chris Carvieau) was continually behind the hitters. If your pitching does not get ahead of the hitters and if you make errors, you do not win at this level of competition."

Dan Mossey started the first inning tally with a single and took second on a Pat Thielke groundout.He went to third when Dustin Wolf's groundball raced under the glove of thirdbaseman Kyle Marti -- one of two errors in the inning for New Ulm -- and Tony Boxwell singled in Mossey. Joey Olson followed by taking Cariveau's first offering deep over the fence in right-center for a three-run dinger and a 4-0 Coon Rapids' lead. A walk, a Matt Mossey single and a throwing error by Jamie Hoffmann made it 5-0 before Dan Mossey, batting for the second time in the inning, singled in the sixth run.

But Gold, who had only one hit in the first two innings (a one-out second inning double by Dusty Fleck) pulled to within one in the top of the third inning, all with two outs.

Keith McClellan was hit by a Thielke pitch and a Jace Marti double moved him to third. Secondbaseman Joey Olson then misplayed a groundball by Jamie Hoffmann into an error that allowed both McClellan and Marti to score.

A walk to Eric Austvold and an RBI single by Fleck saw Gold cutting the lead to 6-3.

Kyle Marti's run-scoring eingle and an error on a Brandon Rolloff groundball added two more runs.

"We battled back - but we can only give a team so many runs," commented Kunz.. "We were behind the last three games of our (Second) District tournament and we able to win but these teams (here) are teams that came through their district - not the teams that did not come through."

Coon Rapids repsonded to that with a single run in the on a sacrifice fly.

Gold stayed within striking distance with a solo run in the fifth. Hoffmann singled and Austvold reached on an error. Hoffmann scored on Fleck's single to put runnners on first and second with no outs. But Thielke retired the next three New Ulm hitters to avoid a potentially big inning by New Ulm.

Post 334 would then seal the game with three runs in the bottom of the fifth on a double, a groundout and an Aaron Lindstrom solo home run that ended Cariveau's day on the mound.

"Chris was behind the hitters and when you are, you have to throw something over the plate.," Kunz said. "You cannot try and hit the corners. And when he had hitters 0-2, he laid a fat pitch in the zone.

"We left (nine) men on base and when you score six runs in a game it is usually enough to win a game in the state. We did not get the job done and the same things that bothered us all season -- the big innings -- came up again. Today. we did not survive it like we did in the districts."

NEW ULM GOLD 005-010-0=6-8-4

COON RAPIDS 601-031-X-11-12-4

WP: Thielke.LP: Cariveua.

ROCHESTER 3,

NEW ULM GOLD 0

Despite out-hitting Rochester 8-4, New Ulm Gold saw their season end with a 3-0 loss.

Peter Zblewski took the win for Rochester (28-14), going the first 6 2/3 innings and allowing eight hits. Mike Badger recorded the final out, getting Jamie Hoffmann on a fly ball out with the bases loaded.

Dusty Fleck took the touhg-luck loss for New Ulm, striking out four and only yielding four hits.

Jay Kasner blasted a solo home run for the A's who have handed two losses to New Ulm this season.

Eric Austvold doubled for New Ulm.

"We had our chances to win this game," said Kunz as Gold stranded nine runners on base in the contest. "Dusty pitched well enough to win. But unlike the first game where we scored enough runs to win, we did not get the runs."

And New Ulm had opportunities.

In the first inning, Jace Marti and Jamie Hoffmann laced back-to-back singles with one out, but failed to score. And in the fourth, Eric Austvold led off with a double to center and went to third on a Dusty Fleck single to put Gold runners on first and third with no outs.'

But Zblewski fanned Brandon Rolloff and Kyle Helget and then ended the inning by getting Blake Thorson to groundout.

New Ulm's best threat came in the seventh when Jeff Dolan and Keith McClellan singled with two outs and Jace Marti walked. That brought up Jamie Hoffmann to the plate who had to face hard-throwing reliever Mike Badger who took over for the lefthanded Zblewski after the walk. He got Hoffmann to fly out to end the game.

"We did not do the little things to win the gam," Kunz said. "We did not get a key hit or get a key bunt down. In the end, that amounted to a big zero.'

Rochester scored their runs in the second inning on a solo home run by Jay Kasner; in the fifth on a successful suicide squeeze bunt by Jesse Anderson; and in the sixth on a Kasner RBI single.

"We had a good season (35-4 a District title) and we did OK record-wise," Kunz said. "And the kids had fun this year and that is what matters the most."

NEW ULM GOLD 000-000-0=0-8-1

ROCHESTER 010-011-X-3-4-0

WP: Zblewski.LP: Fleck. 2B: Austvold (NU), Davies (R). HR: Kasner (R).