Staff photo by Jeremy Behnke New Ulm Gold center fielder Cole Ranweiler makes the catch against Mankato American during Thursday’s American Legion Sub-state playoff game in Sleepy Eye.

SLEEPY EYE — New Ulm Legion Gold rebounded from a 2-0, 12-inning loss to Mankato American in their first game of the day with a 9-2 win over Sleepy Eye in an elimination game in the Sub-State 2 tournament.

Josh Giefer got the pitching win for Gold. Giefer went the distance, striking out six.

Joey Herzog took the season-ending loss for Sleepy Eye.

Jaden Drill had a two-run home run. New Ulm scored four of its runs without the aid of a hit.

“Our hitting was quiet today,” Gold coach Chris Peters said as his team had only 10 hits in 19 innings Thursday.

Sleepy Eye out-hit New Ulm 8-6 in the game.

Against Sleepy Eye, Gold took a 4-0 lead in the third inning. Ethan Stade and Jack Albrecht each walked. Isaiah Rieser reached on an error to load the bases and Stade came home when Jackson Bode was hit by a pitch. A walk to Hunter Sehr added another run and a fielder’s choice and an error gave New Ulm a 4-0 lead

Gold made it 6-0 in the fourth on a single by Albrecht and a fielder’s choice.

Drill’s two-run home run over the fence in right saw New Ulm pad its lead to 8-0.

Sleepy Eye scored its two runs in the bottom of the fifth on a Spencer Hoffmann single and a Jackson Huiras double.

Gold added an insurance run in the sixth on a Cole Ranweiler sacrifice fly.

In the first game, it was a pitcher’s duel that was decided when Mankato American used four hits in the top of the 12th inning to down Gold 2-0.

Caden Jones got the win in relief.

Sam Keckeisen took the loss for New Ulm in relief.

Stade started for Gold and went 6 1/3 innings, allowing no runs and four hits while striking out eight.

New Ulm left 12 runners on base in the game, including leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth and 10th innings.

“We knew we had a chance with Stade on the mound,” Peters said. “Both him and Sam gave us the chance to win but we did not capitalize with a big hit.”

Sleepy Eye got to its meeting with New Ulm with a 13-3 win over Jordan in five innings.

Huiras got the win for Sleepy Eye. He fanned five.

Spencer Hoffmann, Huiras, Carson Domeier and Patrick Hoffmann each had two hits. Huiras, Domeier, Spencer Hoffmann and Matt Sellner each had two RBIs.