Gold pounds Johnson Co.

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- Dusty Wilfahrt pitched eight innings of seven hit ball and New Ulm Gold pounded out 14 hits as Gold downed Johnson County, Iowa 10-5 Thursday night in the 2003 Central Plains Regional Tournament.

Jamie Hoffmann led the 14-hit New Ulm attack with a 5-for-6 plate performance. He drove in two runs and scored three runs. Kyle Marti and Blake Thorson each had three hits, with Marti driving in two runs. Nate Carroll added a two-run double.

Justin Wieck took the loss for Johnson County, allowing nine runs on 10 hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Wieck and Austin Knebel each had two hits for the Iowa State Champions. John Sokol belted an RBI triple.

"The first inning, I could not get my curveball across," said Wilfahrt, who struck out seven in the game. "It was slipping out of my fingers. But after that, I setttled down and everything started working for me."

Everything started working for New Ulm (31-7) right off the get-go as they took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Jeff Dolan reached on a fielder's choice and Jamie Hoffmann laced a two-out single. But Dolan and Hoffmann scored when Marti crushed a Wieck's offering to deep centerfield for a two-run double.

Johnson County countered with a run in the bottom of the first when Dusty Feldman drilled an RBI double that scored Chad Kramer.

But after that, Wilfahrt was almost unhittable, allowing just two singles in his next six innings.

"Dusty threw an exellent game tonight," New Ulm coach Dave Kunz said. "He got up to about 120 pitches or so, and I thought that we had a comfortable enough lead (10-4 after eight innings) so that I could bring in someone who has not pitched a lot [Tony Mielke] in and give him some work."

That comfortable lead came as Gold added a single run in the second on Jeff Dolan's RBI single that plated Blake Thorson for a 3-1 lead.

Gold then added three runs in both the fifth and sixth innings for a 9-1 lead.

In the fifth, Dolan laced a one-out single and Hoffmann doubled. Marti walked to load the bases. Pete Meier's sacrifice fly to rightfield scored Dolan.

Nate Carroll then delivered a big two-run double to left to balloon the New Ulm lead to 6-1.

"I have been looking for something from that DH spot and Nate came through for us," said Kunz.

It was Dolan again who jump-started a three-run inning, this time in the sixth when he singled and went to second on a wild pitch. A ground out and a Hoffmnan RBI single made it 7-1 and ended Wieck's night. Left-hander John Sokol entered and walked two batters to force in a run. A wild pitch scored the third run of the inning.

Johnson County scored a run in the seventh on Sokol's triple to deep center before adding two runs in the eighth on run-scoring singles by Knebel and Peter Kolbo.

Hoffmann's RBI single in the ninth made it 10-4 before Johnson County scored their final run on the only New Ulm error of the game.

"Their pitcher did a good job," said Johnson County coach Mike Kabela. "He shut us down two or three innings where we had one base runner. We got to far behind -- the kids hung in there, but they have too much hitting. The middle of their line-up is the best that we have seen all year.

"We have a solid starter for tomorrow and Saturday will be all hands on deck."

Kunz said that he will send Tyson Anderson to the hill against Omaha-Bellevue, the Nebraska state champions at 5 p.m. today

NEW ULM GOLD 210-033-001=10-14-1

JOHNSON COUNTY, IOWA 100-000-121=5-8-3

WP" Dusty Wilfahrt. LP: Justin Wiecks. 2B: Marti (NU), Feldman (JC), Hoffman (NU), Carroll (NU). 3B: Sokol (JC).