Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm Gold shortstop Jake Finstad throws a ball over to first base for a double play while second baseman Caleb Forstner looks on during a legion baseball game against St. Peter Thursday at Johnson Park.

NEW ULM — New Ulm Legion Gold head coach Curt Forbrook said that Thursday’s game against St. Peter was his team’s best fundamentally played game all season.

New Ulm’s defense turned two double plays and right-hander Colin Anderson scattered three hits as Gold blanked St. Peter 3-0 at Johnson Park. Anderson struck out eight as Gold improved to 9-8 on the year. Anderson also helped his own cause as he picked off two St. Peter runners off first base — both coming in the third inning.

Alex Korir took the loss for St. Peter.

“I told the team after the game that this was the most compete game that we have played all year long,” Forbrook said. “We turned two double plays and Colin has a really good move to first and he may have had one or two more if had put the ball on target.”

St. Peter would threaten right out of gate when Korir was hit by an Anderson offering and Lathe Bly singled him to third.

But Anderson poured cold water on St. Peter when he struck out the next three batters — all on called third strikes.

“That really was huge,” Forbrook said. “They just lifts the whole team. His breaking stuff was not working early in the game, but he relied on his fastball — he threw it by a couple of guys — and that was huge.

St. Peter threatened again in the second when they put two runners on base with no outs. But a double play and a groundout ended the inning.

In the top of the third, Anderson allowed a leadoff single to Korir before picking him off at first. Anderson then fanned the next batter before he walked Levi Wachal. But Anderson caught Wachal to far off first base for the inning-ending out.

Gold, who hosts Tri-City Maroon Friday at 7 p.m, plated two runs in the bottom of the third.

Caleb Forstner singled and went to third on a Zach Hubbard single. Forstner scored on an Anderson single. Anderson stole second and took third on a Jake Finstad groundout. He scored on a wild pitch.

St. Peter put up their last threat of the game in the fourth inning, but New Ulm’s second double play of the game and a groundout closed out the inning.

Gold added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth when Anderson singled with one out.

He scored from first when Elliot Schabert’s groundball, headed towards center field careened off second base and allowed a hustling Anderson to score.

“We had some timely hits tonight,” Forbrook said. “We also had a couple of nice hit-and-runs which we have been incorporating lately. Our guys are feeling comfortable with that. And again Colin did a great job on the mound for us and we played good defense — we do not have a lot of margin for error in games.”