Photo by Brady Dennis New Ulm Cathedral’s Colin Anderson (6) celebrates at home plate after scoring a run during a Section 2A baseball playoff game against Madelia on Thursday at Johnson Park.

NEW ULM — In the bottom of the second inning in their Section 2A winners bracket baseball game against Madelia and Blackhawks right-hander Tate Becker, New Ulm Cathedral’s Joey Schugel drove a two-out base hit to right field for the Greyhounds first hit of the game.

It would be the only hit that Becker allowed until Schugel stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning with the bases loaded and the game tied at 1-1.

Schugel then collected his second hit of the game — a two-run single to right to score Caleb Forstner and Colin Anderson — and an Eli Anderson squeeze bunt later in the inning added a third run as Cathedral downed Madelia 4-1 at Johnson Park.

Colin Anderson got the win for the Greyhounds, now 19-2. He allowed just three hits and struck out seven.

Becker took the loss for Madelia. He allowed two hits — both to Schugel — and struck out 12.

Cathedral will now play Sleepy Eye Public — a 9-5 winner over Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s — at 11 a.m. at Mankato East High School in a winners bracket game, while Madelia faces Springfield at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at East High School.

“This was a very good game,” Madelia head coach James Kiefer said. “Cathedral is a great team and coached very well — both teams played very well. Tate pitched well — worked very hard and threw a gem for us.”

Anderson, who threw 96 pitches in the game, said Becker was pitching well.

“He is the best pitcher that we have seen this season so far,” he said. “It was hard to hit off of him — he located his curveball well and he threw his fastball well.”

And Anderson was equally tough on the mound.

“Everything was working well for me,” he said. “My fastball was located, as was my curveball — everything.”

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the fourth inning when the Greyhounds broke through on Becker — who threw 115 pitches in the game — on a Blackhawks error and some Becker wildness.

Colin Anderson and Elliot Schabert were hit by Becker offerings. A fielder’s choice and ensuing error on the play allowed Colin Anderson to score.

But the Blackhawks quickly tied the game in the top of the fifth with a run — but it could have been worse.

Becker led off with a single before Anderson hit Kyle Pietsch. A Jonathan Makala sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. Becker was then thrown out a home on a missed squeeze bunt before Noel Davila singled in Pietsch.

Kiefer said that may have been a turning point in the game.

“We did get a run after that — we missed an opportunity to get a run there,” he said. “We may have gotten more momentum. But the real turning point was when we walked a couple of batters and it escalated from there.”

That came in the home half of the sixth when Becker walked Caleb Forstner to lead off the inning. Anderson reached on a Becker error before Becker walked Alex Portner to load the bases.

That brought up Schugel who connected on a Becker fastball for a two-run single.

“He was good,” Schugel said. “We had eight strikeouts in the first three innings. But I hit a fastball and it felt pretty good.

“That was the biggest hit of my career so far. This is a huge win to get to the state tournament and that is our goal.”