“That’s the best team we’ve played all year, and I don’t think it’s particularly close,” New Ulm head coach Mike Anderson said. “We got down a little early, and we stayed within ourselves and played New Ulm baseball.

“We played it the right way, we played error-free baseball and it gave us a shot to win. In the end we had a shot, got the lead, they tied it up and they just got one extra hit to win it. I’m super proud of the boys for even having an opportunity to come back. If you were here in the second inning, it looked kind of like a funeral.”

Coach Anderson said Eden Prairie was strong and fast, but he was happy his players never quit.

“They were big, they were strong, they were fast,” he said. “If we were playing a football game versus those guys, it wouldn’t even be close. If we were playing basketball, it wouldn’t be close. But the beautiful thing about baseball is if you play the game the right way, no matter your size, your strength, your speed, you can be in baseball games and I think that was a prime example of that. I’m really proud of the fight and the fire that they had in that game.”

Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm Junior Legion’s Levi Hopp scores a run during a DI Junior Legion State Tournament game against Eden Prairie Friday at Red Haddox Field in Bloomington.

Mitchell Hopp took the loss for New Ulm, striking out one while allowing one run on two hits in 1 2/3 innings. Tanner Backer made the start, striking out seven and allowing five runs on seven hits in five innings. At the plate, Hunter Larson was 1 for 4 with two RBIs, and Josh Forstner had a hit, an RBI and a run scored. Candon Briggs and Mitchell Hopp each had a hit and a run scored.

New Ulm saw itself down quickly after two innings as Eden Prairie racked up four runs on five hits in the first two frames.

However, New Ulm got some life in the third inning as Forstner was hit by a pitch and Mitchell Hopp singled to put runners on the corners. Alex Portner then singled and Larson doubled to score three runs and get New Ulm back in the game.

Josh Forstner singled in the fourth inning to bring home Briggs and tie the game. New Ulm continued the comeback in the fifth, loading the bases with a double from Backer, a walk from Briggs and a hit batsman in Eli Anderson. Forstner drew a walk to score a run and go up 5-4, but a lineout ended the inning.

Eden Prairie got that run back in the bottom of the inning on a hit batsman and a single, putting the teams back into a tie. New Ulm managed a runner in the sixth as Backer drew a walk and stole second, but New Ulm was unable to advance him further or get any other runners on base. Eden Prairie, meanwhile, got runners on first and second on walks, setting up Konrad for his game-ending single.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau The New Ulm Legion Gold’s Blaine Olson pitches during a DI State Legion Baseball Tournament game against Shakopee on Friday at Gleason Fields in Maple Grove.

New Ulm will play again in the consolation bracket against Bloomington at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday at Red Haddox Field again. The winner of that game will play in the consolation championship at 2 p.m.

“We’ll come back like we always have,” coach Anderson said. “We play it the right way no matter who we play or when we play, we play it the same way. We told them at the end of this game, there’s only three teams in the state that get the opportunity to win their last game of the year. And that’s our goal tomorrow, to try to win the last game of the year, and that would be a pretty good ending to a really special season.”

Staff photo by Ari Selvey The New Ulm Junior Legion meets at the pitcher’s mound during a DI Junior Legion State Tournament game against Eden Prairie Friday at Red Haddox Field in Bloomington.