Kaiserhoff ends season

with loss to Northfield

BELLE PLAINE -- The New Ulm Kaiserhoff saw its 2004 season conclude Sunday afternoon in Belle Plaine in the Class "B" state tournament as the "K" was guilty of three errors that led to five unearned Northfield runs in a 5-3 loss.

Bob Wellmann took the loss for the Kaiserhoff, which finishes the season at 21-10. Wellmann went 6 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on four hits while striking out eight.

Cory Ranweiler had a solo home run for New Ulm.

"We got started off on the wrong foot in the bottom of the first inning when we had a runner thrown out at the plate trying to score on a fly-out," said Kaiserhoff Manager Dick Wellmann.

New Ulm threatened in the fifth inning when it loaded the bases with no outs.

Brady Ranweiler reached on an error, and Eric Austvold singled. Derik Johnson walked to load the bases. Blake Thorson fanned for the first out.

Then, perhaps the biggest play of the game came. Pete Meier missed the suicide squeeze bunt, and Brady Ranweiler was out at home.

Meier went down swinging for the third out.

"That took us out of the game mentally somewhat after that. The first inning took some out of us."

Northfield scored three runs in the seventh inning after two were out. Two walks by Bob Wellmann and an error allowed runs to score with an RBI single off reliever Cory Ranweiler.

The Kaiserhoff scored two runs in the seventh inning and the final run in the eighth on a solo home run by Cory Ranweiler.

"This was a game that we should have won," said Wellmann. "There is no doubt about that. We left too many runners on base and we had three errors which led to five unearned runs. You also need more than six hits to win a ball game. We did not get key hits when we needed them. We have been short on the stick the last two games."