The Brewers got what they needed in the hits column Sunday, but they were still a hit short as the Lightning held on for a 7-5 win in the semifinals at Veterans Memorial Field.

Trailing 7-4 entering the ninth, Trevor Nissen led off with a walk. Reliever Benjamin Thoma, a Buckman Billygoats draftee, forced Ayden Jensen to pop out, but Sam Keckeisen collected his third hit of the game to put runners on the corner. Lucas Suess followed Keckeisen up by collecting his own third of the game, this hit scoring Nissen to have the Brewers one big swing away from taking the lead. Andrew Peters, who homered against Princeton in the ninth a week ago to force extra innings, had his shot at tying the game or taking the lead, but Lingenfelter got him swinging for the second out. On a 3-2 count, Thomas got JT Hoffmann swinging also to end the game.

“We were one hit away there at the end and that’s where you want to be,” Brewers manager Al Flor said. “Our message to the guys the last inning was get to the next guy, give ourselves a chance, get the tying run to the plate. We did that. I felt like we got the right guys to the plate, but you’re not always going to get a hit. That’s baseball.”

Keckeisen and Suess each went 3 for 4 with an RBI to lead the New Ulm bats, while Hoffmann was 2 for 6 with two RBIs. Peters, Wade French and Nissen each added a single apiece, while Zach More had a pinch-hit single in the eighth.

Staff photo by Travis Rosenau New Ulm Brewers third baseman Lucas Suess prepares to throw to first for an out during a Class B state amateur baseball tournament semifinals game against Nisswa on Sunday at Veterans Memorial Field in Hutchinson.

After eight hits a week ago against Princeton in an 18-inning victory, the Brewers defeated Foley 1-0 in 10 innings on Saturday in the quarterfinals and were held to six hits. Sunday the Brewers were two hits away from reaching the total hits they had in their last two games combined, but they were possibly just one big hit away from a championship game.

“We knew we were gonna have to hit with them, we’ve played them quite a few times,” Flor said. “We knew we were gonna see the seconds and the third pitchers for both teams in a sense in this way. We got to see a right-hander, that was a benefit to play when we were playing. … We were ready to hit, but Nisswa is hard to hold down. Got a couple bounces go the wrong way and it is what it is.”

Fairmont draftee Spencer Chirpich, who pitched 12 innings in relief against Princeton a week ago and got the win, got the mound start for New Ulm against Nisswa and took the loss in 4 2/3 innings. He allowed 10 hits and a walk for six runs, four earned, while striking out four.

Mitch Bockenstedt pitched the final 3 1/3 innings for New Ulm, allowing four hits for one earned run while striking out three.

Nisswa started right-hander Matt Filippi, a draftee from the Sobieski Skis. He finished the game with 3 2/3 innings of work, allowing four hits and four walks for three earned runs while striking out three. Keaton Lingenfelter pitched 4 2/3 innings and got the win, allowing eight hits and two walks for two earned runs while striking out three. Thoma picked up the save.

The Lightning got the first run in the bottom of the first when a double by Nate DeChaine and an error in the outfield allowed Jeremiah Piepkorn to score.

The Brewers answered in the second for three runs, Keckeisen singled in Colten Schaefer, who led off the inning with a walk, to tie the game at 1-all before Suess singled to have two on for Andrew Peters. Peters walked and a sac fly by Hoffmann scored Keckeisen for a 3-1 Brewers lead.

The Lightning got a run back in the third on ground-ball RBI single by DeChaine, who finished the game 3 for 5 with two doubles. The Lightning struck again in the fourth to take the lead. The tying run scored on a fielder’s choice and an error allowed Kody Ruedisili to take third. Ruedisili then stole home on a 3-2 count to give the Lightning the lead back.

In the bottom of the fifth, Nisswa made it a 6-3 game when when a bases-loaded double by Chris Pederson scored two.

The Brewers got a run back in the sixth when JT Hoffmann lined a single to score pinch runner Jace Schaefer, who slid into home head-first to beat the tag on a play at the plate. Cole Ranweiler was clunked with a pitch to load the bases for DH Wade French, who got called out on a check swing. French expressed his displeasure with the call from the first base umpire on the field and was ejected moments later. A pop out by Colten Schaefer ended the Brewers’ bases-loaded threat.

Bockenstedt only allowed the Lightning one run off him in the bottom of the sixth on a wild pitch, but he was otherwise steady for the Brewers in relief. Without French, another pitcher for the Brewers, Bockenstedt’s responsibilities increased.

“Gutty performance on his part, [having Mitch pitch] was our plan the whole time, but our plan got changed a little bit with the ejection, maybe not this game, but the preservation in case you can play tomorrow,” Flor said. “I always know there is no tomorrow, but you’ve got to have a plan. But he pitched well. There’s nothing I can say, Mitch carried us all year, he kept us in the game, just one hit shy.”

The Brewers finished their season with a 24-5 record, while Nisswa plays Delano in the Class B title game at 1 p.m. Monday in Hutchinson.