Staff photo by Steve Muscatello New Ulm’s Teagan Kamm slides into home during the Eagles’ game against Marshall Saturday at Johnson Park in New Ulm.

NEW ULM — Braden Zimmerman allowed a trio of first-inning runs to Marshall, but New Ulm came back with four runs in the bottom of the inning and kept on rolling as the Eagles picked up a solid Big South Conference win as they downed Marshall 9-3 Saturday evening at Johnson Park.

After the first inning when Zimmerman allowed the Tigers only runs, he allowed just two more hits and fanned six for the complete-game win.

Isaac Schmitt took the loss for Marshall (7-7, 7-2). He went four innings and was tagged with seven runs.

Cole Ranweiler led New Ulm (6-7, 5-3) with three hits and drove in three runs. Zimmerman had two hits, while Jackson Bode drove in three runs.

Nolan Drill added two RBIs for New Ulm.

New Ulm head coach Kevin Briggs said that he was proud of the team after rebounding from a 3-2 loss to Mankato West 24 hours earlier.

“We are coming,” he said. “Our hitting has been sharp and we hang our hats on pitching and defense and we have been able to do that in the last two games.”

Saturday’s game started out eerily similar to Friday night’s contest when Zimmerman — like Friday’s starter Teagan Kamm — gave up three runs in the top of the first inning as the Tigers used three walks, a hit batsman and a single to score their runs.

And like Friday’s game, those would be the last runs allowed by an Eagles pitcher in the game.

Briggs thinks that the early troubles are due to the pitchers not being ready.

“Three walks and a hit batter in the first inning is unacceptable,” he said. “We were able to come back, and I feel that is a great testament to our character. To me, [Schmitt] is the best pitcher in the section and for us to respond was a character test for us.”

The Eagles, who play Marshall again Monday on the road, scored four unearned runs in the bottom of the first inning.

Teagan Kamm reached on an infield error and Zimmerman followed with a single to left field.

Ranweiler followed that with a line shot off of Schmitt’s leg that rolled into short left field and brought in Zimmerman. Hunter Sehr drew a walk to load the bases for Jackson Bode, who drove a 1-2 Schmitt offering over the head of Tigers centerfielder Jackson Hughes for a three-run double and a 4-3 New Ulm lead.

“That was a big at-bat from Jackson,” Briggs said. “We did not get that key hit (Friday) and today we did get those key hits.

“Today, every time we got a runner on second we got a base hit.”

In the second, Kamm walked and Zimmerman singled. A wild pitch moved both runners up before Kamm scored.

The Eagles upped their lead to 7-3 in the fourth. Jaden Domeier singled and stole second. A Kamm sacrifice bunt put Domeier at third. An error scored Domeier.

A Ranweiler RBI single gave New Ulm a four-run lead.

RBI doubles from Drill and Ranweiler in the sixth upped the lead to 9-3.

“We kept the pressure on them all game,” Briggs said. “Sometimes this team gets up and likes to coast but that was not the feeling today.”

Briggs is confident heading into Monday’s rematch with Marshall.

“We showed Marshall that we can beat them and now we have to show them we can beat them on Monday too.”