Staff photo by Travis Rosenau New Ulm Junior Legion Gold’s Collin Forstner slides into second safely during a Junior Upper Midwest Classic baseball game on Saturday at Johnson Park in New Ulm.

NEW ULM — Kyle Albrecht’s suicide squeeze bunt in the bottom of the ninth inning scored Cohen Domeier from third and capped an improbable three-run inning as New Ulm Junior Legion Gold downed Owatonna 5-4 in the quarterfinals of the Junior Upper Midwest Classic Saturday night at Johnson Park.

New Ulm now plays Mankato East at noon Sunday at Johnson Park.

Maple Grove will meet Prior Lake at noon Sunday, with the winners meeting for the championship at approximately 3 p.m. at Johnson Park.

Domeier also got the win in relief.

Ryan Rathmann had three hits for New Ulm.

“This was a fun game,” Junior Gold assistant coach Kevin Briggs said. “Both teams played well. They made one hell of a play from their center fielder in the seventh (cutting down Parker Neubauer at home with the game-wining run) to save the game.”

New Ulm trailed 2-1 going into the inning but tied it on a wild pitch.

Owatonna scored two runs in the top of the ninth to take a 4-2 lead before New Ulm added another chapter to Johnson Park magic.

Tanner Backer led off with a double and Rathmann singled. A Domeier single scored Backer to cut the lead to 4-3.

Rathmann then scored on a Neubauer groundout to tie the contest at 4-4, with Domeier taking third.

Albrecht then laid down a perfect squeeze bunt to send New Ulm to championship Sunday.

Briggs said that his team responded all game with rallies.

“We had our backs to the wall in the seventh inning down by a run and again in the ninth” he said. “But this is a gritty team that does not give up.”

Earlier in the day, New Ulm used another squeeze bunt — this one in the bottom of the seventh from Domeier which scored Candon Briggs from third — for an 8-7 win.

Cullen Slette got the win for New Ulm.

Hunter Larson had two hits and drove in five runs.