Staff photo by Steve Muscatello Sleepy Eye’s Joey Walter (33) slides into third before the New Ulm Brewers’ Zach More can apply the tag during playoff action Saturday at Mueller Park in New Ulm.

NEW ULM — In a game that featured a combined 31 hits and 29 runs, the New Ulm Brewers opened up Region 2C play with a 17-12 win over Sleepy Eye Saturday night at Mueller Park.

The game lasted just over three hours. New Ulm outhit Sleepy Eye 19-12.

Mitch Kelly got the win for the Brewers, who next play at Hanska at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. He went six innings and allowed six runs on 10 hits while striking out six.

Alan Woitas took the loss for Sleepy Eye. He was charged with nine runs in 3 1/3 innings of work. Sleepy Eye hosts Springfield at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Joey Walter had three hits for the Indians.

Hunter Ranweiler had three hits, with Justin Hoffmann, Wade French, Andrew Peters and Brody Peterson each collecting two hits. Peters had two triples, with French blasting a solo home run. Zach More and Peterson each doubled, with Ranweiler also rapping a double.

Sleepy Eye led 2-0 after one inning before both teams started scoring. New Ulm had a 7-5 lead after three innings and upped its lead to 12-6 after four innings.

Big blows in the fourth inning for New Ulm was a French leadoff home run, followed by a triple from Peters. Walks to Nick Fischer and More preceded an error on a Sam Berg groundball and a Peterson RBI single.

That lead expanded to 14-6 in the in the fifth.

But Sleepy Eye scored five runs in the seventh on just one hit to cut the lead to 14-11.

The Indians used four walks from reliever Chase Meyer and a Brewers’ error.

But the Brewers added two runs in the bottom of the inning for a 16-11 lead on a hit batter, an error, a walk and a Ranweler base hit.

Each team added a run in the eighth.