Four-run inning leads Junior Gold past Excelsior
Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm’s Cole Voges catches a ball at first to beat the runner during a junior legion baseball game against Excelsior Tuesday at Mueller Park.
Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm’s Owen Castleman delivers a pitch during a junior legion baseball game against Excelsior Tuesday at Mueller Park.
Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm’s Cole Voges catches a ball at first to beat the runner during a junior legion baseball game against Excelsior Tuesday at Mueller Park.
Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm’s Owen Castleman delivers a pitch during a junior legion baseball game against Excelsior Tuesday at Mueller Park.
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NEW ULM -- The New Ulm Junior Legion scored four runs in the bottom of the third on two of their five hits which was all New Ulm right-hander Owen Castleman needed as New Ulm topped Excelsior 5-1 Tuesday afternoon at Mueller Park.
Castleman, who threw 103 pitches in the complete-game win, allowed five hits and struck out eight. The only run allowed by Castleman came in the top of the fifth inning and was unearned.
Dylan Woodford took the loss for Excelsior, going 4 2/3 innings and was charged with five runs.
Evan Starke had two RBIs for New Ulm.
"Owen threw outstanding," New Ulm head coach Jeff Ferrell said as New Ulm improved to 13-2 on the season. "He was able to locate his pitches on both sides of the plate today and was able to throw strikes. And Owen can throw strikes -- I did not see him try and overpower -- he pitched. He was a pitcher today and he did a real nice job of it."
Both teams were scoreless before New Ulm, who plays a doubleheader at Mankato American on Thursday, parlayed two of their five hits in the game along with two Excelsior errors, a hit batter and a walk for four runs.
Cole Voges started the inning with a leadoff single and stole second.
After a strikeout, an Owen Castleman single to right field and a walk to Eli Anderson loaded the bases.
Trevan Thordson reached on an infield error that permitted Voges to score for a 1-0 lead.
Parker Ranweiler was hit by a pitch that brought in the second run of the inning.
Another error and an Evan Starke sacrifice fly made it 4-0.
"We put the ball in play and we tried to win the inning," Ferrell said. "All we need is a couple of runs if we get good pitching. And we made them make the mistakes."
New Ulm added an insurance run in the home half of the fifth on singles from Ranweiler, Miles Castleman and Starke.
Over the weekend, New Ulm went 3-0 in the Sioux Falls Tournament before rain on Sunday forced the cancellation of championship games.
"We played well and pitched well [in Sioux Falls]," Ferrell said. "Ryler Collins threw outstanding on Saturday and we had Miles, Conlin [McAlpine] and Parker Ranweiler all threw well."