Sleepy Eye drops first game

By MICHAEL GASSETT, Journal Sports Writer

GREEN ISLE - Sleepy Eye VFW seems to play its best baseball when the odds are against it.

Last weekend, Sleepy Eye lost its first game in the Northwest Subdistrict, only to come back and win the whole the thing.

Now the team has its back to the wall again after falling to Arlington 6-1 in the opening round of the Second District Tournament Thursday in Green Isle.

"We have been in this situation before," Sleepy Eye coach Dusty Mangen said. "This team has played its best baseball this season with their back against the wall."

Arlington got things started right away in the top of the first. Nathan Henke walked and Justin Rettmann singled. Henke scored on a wild pitch and Matt Pichelmann drove in Rettmann with a single to left to make it 2-0.

Arlington made it 4-0 with two runs in the third and single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to make it 6-0.

Meanwhile, Sleepy Eye couldn't do anything against Pichelmann. He threw a complete game, two-hitter with seven strikeouts and four walks.

Pichelmann mowed down the first eight batters he faced until Kyle J. Krzmarzick broke up the perfect game with a single to left. Alan Huiras and Adam Sellner walked but all three were left stranded.

"We had bases loaded there and that was our best chance to score," Mangen said. "Against a good pitcher like that you aren't going to get too many opportunities to score and we didn't."

Sleepy Eye had only three baserunners the rest of the game and finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Tyler Braulick led off with a triple to the fence in right field and he scored when Scott Salfer grounded out to shortstop.

Brett Ubl took the loss for Sleepy Eye. He pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on five hits with five strikeouts and five walks. Matt Helget pitched the final 3 1/3 innings. He allowed one run on three hits with a walk.

"Ubl has pitched a lot of innings for us the last week," Mangen said. "He pitched great for us in the subdistrict tournament but he just had trouble finding his spots today."

Braulick and Krzmarzick had the hits for Sleepy Eye.

Rettmann led Arlington going 2-for-4 with four runs scored. Erik Goetsch was 2-for-2 with an RBI and Zach Borchert was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Pichelmann had two RBIs.

Sleepy Eye will now face Farmington in an elimination game at 11:30 a.m. today in Green Isle.