Sleepy Eye holds off Howard Lake rally

NEW ULM -- Brian Hertling struck out the final two Howard Lake batters as the Sleepy Eye Indians held on for a 7-6 win Saturday night in the opening round of the Class C state amateur baseball tournament in Miesville.

Hertling, who went the distance for the victory, took a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the ninth before four straight Orphan singles plated a pair of runs. After an intentional walk to load the bases for the second time in the inning, Hertling fanned Mark Steven and Tim Sonnek -- his sixth and seventh strike outs of the game.

The bottom of the Howard Lake order each singled to lead off the inning and loading the bases for Orphan No. 1 batter Mike Gagnon. Gagnon singled up the middle, scoring two runs and cutting the Indians margin to 7-6.

Hertling allowed six runs -- five earned -- on 12 hits.

Shane Heber took the loss for Howard Lake. Heber lasted seven innings and surrendered five runs -- two earned -- on 13 hits; he struck out two and walked one.

The top of the order shined for the Indians. Lead-off hitter Cody Walter, No. 2 batter Brooks Deibele and Jim Eckstein went a combined 7-for-11. Eckstein was 3-for-3 with a pair of runs scored; Deibele was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored and Walter went 2-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.

Kelly Krzmarzick, the Indians clean-up batter, went only 1-for-5, but had a seventh-inning double that scored two runs for Sleepy Eye.

Jason Witte went 3-for-5 for the Indians, scoring once and also driving in a run. Teammate Loren Havemeier was 2-for-3 batting in the No. 9 spot and had a double.

Mike Gagnon was 3-for-5 with three RBI to lead Howard Lake. Adam Koch was 2-for-4 for the Orphans, driving in a run and scoring a run, and Dean Gagnon went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.

Sleepy Eye, which was scoreless until it picked up a pair of runs in the top of the sixth inning, had its chances to get on the board early. Heber allowed five Indians on base through the first four innings, but all perished because of the Orphans defense.

Howard Lake turned an inning-ended double play in the top of the first when Krzmarzick grounded to second after Deibele and Eckstein had reached on singles.

Eckstein and Hertling each singled in the top of the fourth inning, but Heber got Witte got ground to second for the twinkilling that ended the inning. In the fifth, Havemeier singled with two out; he was cut down at the plate on a Walter single to left-center.

Howard Lake got the first run, using a pair of singles to take a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. The Orphans upped the margin to 2-0 in the fifth when Dean Gagnon reached on a lead-off single and scored on Mike Gagnon's single to left.

The Indians finally broke through with a pair of runs in the sixth to tie the game. Deibele doubled down the right-field line to start the inning and Eckstein followed with a single.

Deibele scored two batters later on an error that allowed Hertling to reach and Eckstein trotted home on Witte's single to left that tied the game at 2.

The Orphans retook the lead with a run in the bottom half of the sixth. Mark Steven reached on an error, stole second base, went to third on an out and scored on a wild pitch by Hertling.

Sleepy Eye got its first lead of the game in the seventh, scoring three runs, two unearned, on three hits and an Orphan error.

Dean Brinkman led off the Indians' seventh with a single and Walter followed by reaching on an error charged to Howard Lake catcher Eric Sheute. Walter attempted to sacrifice Brinkman over, but Sheute threw the ball into center field when he tried to get Brinkman at second base.

Deibele followed with an actual sacrifice and Eckstein was intentionally walked to load the bases. Krzmarzick knifed the first pitch from Heber just inside the bag at first, scoring Havemeier, who was pinchrunning for Brinkman, and Walter to give Sleepy Eye its first lead at 4-3.

Eckstein scored a batter later when Hertling lofted a sacrifice fly to Steven in right-center. The Indians added a run each in the eighth and ninth innings, Witte scoring what would become the game-winner in the top of the ninth on a Brian Sieve single.

Litchfield defeated the New Ulm Brewers 9-4 Saturday night. No other details were available when this edition of The Journal went to press.

SLEEPY EYE 000 002 311--7 16 3

HOWARD LAKE 010 011 012--6 12 3

Hertling and Walter. Heber, Strike (8) and Sheute. W--Hertling. L--Heber. HRs--None. T--2:34.