NEW ULM - When New Ulm Legion Blue scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut Fairmont's lead to 3-2, Blue had some momentum.
Unfortunately they lost it in the top of the seventh.
Fairmont sent nine men to the plate to score five runs as it downed Blue 8-2 at Mueller Park.
Article Photos
Staff photo by Steve Muscatello
New Ulm Legion Blue starting pitcher Dominac Camacho catches a pop fly during New Ulm’s game against Fairmont Monday at Mueller Park in New Ulm.
Andy Reiter got the win for Fairmont. He scattered five hits.
Dominac Comacho was saddled with the loss for Blue. He allowed 11 hits while fanning five.
Brice Holm had three hits for Fairmont with Ben Gratz adding two. Ryan Noll had three RBI with Jon Ellis belting a two-run home run in the first.
For New Ulm Blue coach Mike Munce, the game came down to one inning - the seventh.
"They had a bunt single, a couple of walks (one intentional) that loaded the bases and we did not keep the pitch down to their number four hitter," he said. "He hit the ball to the gap - that is what happens when you leave a pitch up to a number four hitter."
That resulted in a three-run double for Noll and turned a tight 3-2 Fairmont lead into a comfortable 6-2 lead. Holm followed with the second double of the inning that scored Noll before he raced home on a Sean Klein base hit.
Other than that, Comacho and New Ulm Blue gave Fairmont all they wanted. Fairmont took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when Tanner Nawrocki walked and scored on a two-run home run from Ellis.
Fairmont scored a run in the second on a Nawrocki sacrifice fly.
Comacho allowed just three more hits to Fairmont until the seventh inning.
New Ulm Blue wasted a scoring chance in the third when Collin Kral and DeAndre Parker walked with one out and Jake Gieseke laced a two-out single. But Reiter got Javen Munce to ground into an inning-ending fielder's choice.
"We did not get the key hit when we needed it then," coach Munce said. "We had the right batter at the plate but he missed the pitch and rolled one on the ground."
Blue did score two runs in the sixth on a Cole Dulas single that brought in Gieseke and a Cihak groundout.
"We battled hard tonight," Munce said. "This was a good game until the seventh inning."