Kato Twins take 1-0 series lead on Kaiserhoff

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Mankato lefthander Matt McNurtry pitched 7 2/3 innings of two-hit baseball and Zach Malwitz singled in the only run of the game in the eighth inning as the Mankato Twins opened the Region 4B championship series with a 1-0 win over the New Ulm Kaiserhoff at Johnson Park.

McNurtry struck out six and walked three in getting the win. Ben Kaus tossed the final 1 1/3 innings, working out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the eighth inning to preserve the win.

Chris Cariveau took the loss for the Kaiserhoff, scattering eight hits in nine innings while fanning three.

The Kaiserhoff's Cory Ranweiler had the only extra base hit of the game for either team with a fourth inning double.

The series now heads east to Mankato at 7:30 p.m. Friday. If the Kaiserhoff wins, the third and deciding game would return to Johnson Park at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Both teams are guaranteed a state tournament trip with draft picks on the line in the series.

"We were a little short tonight," Kaiserhoff manager Dick Wellmann said. "We did not get a key hit when we needed one -- we had a couple of chances. Chris (Cariveau) pitched one heck of a game. But it is one of those games -- some you win and some you lose. Tonight was not our night."

Mankato scored the only run of the one hour and 56 minute contest in the top of the seventh inning.

Landon Danielson led the inning off with a single and went to second on a passed ball. After a Cariveau strikeout of Cullen Bahn, Danielson went to third on a Brandon LaRue groundout.

Zach Malwitz then drove a 2-0 Cariveau offering to left for an RBI single.

Other than that, the Twins who were the victims of two 5-4-3 double plays in the game were held in check by Cariveau.

Meanwhile, McNurtry was dominating Kaiserhoff batters, permitting a one-out double in the fourth by Cory Ranweiler and a two-out single by Jace Marti in the fifth inning.

Ranweiler would get to third following his double courtesy of a wild pitch. One out later, Eric Austvold was hit by a pitch before the southpaw got Derik Johnson on a called third strike to end the inning.

"We faced him (McNurtry) once or twice before this year," Wellmann said. "He has given us a rough time. But tonight, we hit some balls fairly well but were right at their fielders."

New Ulm then mounted its biggest scoring threat of the night in the bottom of the eighth inning when Pete Meier reached on an error by Twins' shortstop Aaron Madson. Marti's sacrifice bunt placed him at second. McNurtry then issued consecutive walks to McClellan and Jeff Dolan to load the bases with one out.

Righthander Ben Kaus then relieved McNurtry and retired Cory Ranweiler and Brady Ranweiler on a foul fly and a groundout respectively to end the threat.

"I had thought about a (suicide) squeeze in that situation but then you have that force-out at home," Wellmann said. "We have our number three and four hitters at the plate. You think that you will get a fly ball to score a run or something but it did not work out."

Wellmann felt that perhaps his team had a little emotional letdown after Sunday's win over Green Isle that put the Kaiserhoff into the state tournament.

"I think that there might have been -- there was not the energy level tonight that there was Sunday," he said. "But that is something that these young players are going to have to learn to do. You need to come out and play every night. If you don't, one play here or there makes the difference."

MANKATO 000-000-100=1-8-1

KAISERHOFF 000-000-000=0-2-0

MANKATO: Matt McNurtry, Ben Kaus (8) and Brandon LaRue. KAISERHOFF: Chris Cariveau and Blake Thorson. 2B: C. Ranweiler (NU).