Staff photo by Steve Muscatello New Ulm VFW Gold pitcher Braden Zimmerman tosses a pitch during New Ulm’s playoff win against Blue Earth on Thursday in Mankato. For more photos of this event go to cu.nujournal.com

By Travis Rosenau

Journal Sports Writer

MANKATO — It took New Ulm VFW Gold a few innings to start putting runs on the board against Blue Earth.

But when the runs and hits started to pile up, they really piled up as New Ulm clobbered Blue Earth 15-1 in Thursday’s opening District 2 VFW playoff game at Franklin Rogers Park in Mankato.

Gold finished the game with 17 hits compared to Blue Earth’s six. Braden Zimmerman got the complete-game win for Gold, allowing six hits and one walk for one run. He struck out five.

Gold coach Mike Munce said that Zimmerman simply did what he was asked to do.

“He kept us in the game and only gave up one run,” Munce said. “I asked him to throw strikes and that’s what he did.”

Gold led 3-1 after four innings and the game appeared to be one that could come down to the wire. Little did anyone know how things would actually turn out.

In the top of the fifth, Alex Hillesheim smashed a one-out triple to right. Zimmerman then scored Hillesheim on a sac-fly to center to give Gold the 4-1 lead.

After a quiet bottom of the fifth where Blue Earth left a man on after a base hit, New Ulm was up next to try and add some more insurance runs in the sixth. Gold scored four more runs in the sixth on four hits, led by another triple to right from Hillesheim, this time scoring two.

Hillesheim finished with a 2-for-3 day at the plate and three RBIs.

Gold began to pour it on in the seventh after a seven-run inning. The inning had RBI hits from Teddy Giefer, Mark Schommer, Aaron Portner and T.J. Sweere, with Sweere’s hit being a double.

Nolan Drill went 3 for 4 for Gold, along with Jaden Domeier and Colten Schaefer, who had two hits apiece.

“It took us a few innings to get rolling, but toward the middle to the end of the game, we really started hitting the ball hard and had some good innings.” Munce said.

VFW Gold will next play at 2 p.m. on Friday at Franklin Rogers Park.