Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm Junior Legion head coach Mike Anderson (left) and Eli Anderson (right) high-five after Eli Anderson’s three-RBI triple during a Sub-State G Junior Legion Baseball Tournament game against New Prague Thursday at ISG Stadium in Mankato.

MANKATO — During this Wednesday’s 4-3 win against Hutchinson, New Ulm Junior Legion Gold head coach Mike Anderson commented on the team’s need to execute situational baseball.

In Thursday’s Sub-State G Junior Legion Baseball Tournament game against New Prague, New Ulm did just that, laying down bunts and using aggressive baserunning to come away with a 12-2 win in five innings at ISG stadium.

“It was really good,” New Ulm head coach Mike Anderson said. “I think at one point we bunted three times in a row, and we were successful three times in a row. We did the little things right, and if we can continue to do that, we’re going to be tough to beat.”

Because of that success, New Ulm was very efficient with its baserunners, scoring its 12 runs on 10 hits.

“Really efficient,” coach Anderson said. “And we pushed the needle pretty hard, and I’m super proud of the boys’ at-bats and approaches. It was really good. And we played really good defense, and we saved all our pitching too.”

With the win, New Ulm advances to the quarterfinals against Marshall at 5 p.m. Friday at Mankato East High School.

Josh Forstner earned the win for New Ulm, striking out three and allowing one unearned run on five hits in three innings. At the plate, Eli Anderson was 2 for 3 with three RBIs, while Alex Portner was 2 for 2 with an RBI and three runs scored. Evan Blekestad was 2 for 2 with a run scored, while Hunter Larson had a hit, two RBIs and two runs scored. Tanner Backer had a triple, two RBIs and a run scored, and Lane Ruch had a hit and two runs scored.

New Ulm scored twice in the opening frame once as Larson singled to bring home Portner, then again as Larson came home on a wild pitch.

New Ulm put together a five-run inning in the second, starting with a sacrifice bunt from Mitchell Hopp that scored Colin Forstner. Portner bunted again to bring home Ruch, then Backer tripled to score Portner and Larson. A single from Blekestad made it a 7-0 game.

New Prague got a run back in the top of the third, but New Ulm extended the lead out to 9-1 on a bunt single from Portner and a sacrifice fly from Larson. Eli Anderson brought home the final three runs for New Ulm on a triple with bases loaded in the fourth inning. New Prague scored a run in the top of the fifth on a sacrifice fly, but New Ulm executed a double play on an over-ambitious baserunner at second to end the game.