New Ulm notched a pair of them on Thursday, overcoming a four-run deficit to defeat the Mankato National 14-4, then walking off Marshall after being down a run headed into the bottom of the seventh to win 5-4.

GAME 1

Much like what happened in the opening round of the tournament, New Ulm found itself down early in the first game of the day, with the Mankato National holding a 4-0 lead after two innings.

But one run in the third inning helped set up a seven-run fourth inning and a six-run fifth inning as the Gold ended up 10-running the National for a 14-4 win.

Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm's Mitchell Hopp delivers a pitch during a DI Senior Legion Sub-State 2 Baseball Tournament game against the Mankato National on Thursday at Wolverton Field.

“We got the bats going, so that helped our pitching,” New Ulm’s Levi Hopp said. “And we tightened up our defense. Had some mistakes early.”

Mitchell Hopp got the win on the mound for New Ulm, striking out five and allowing four runs on four hits in five innings. At the plate, Levi Hopp was 3 for 3 with three RBIs and two runs scored, while Zach Hubbard was 2 for 3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Jake Finstad and Tanner Backer each had a hit and two RBIs.

A Hubbard double in the third inning set up Levi Hopp for an RBI single for New Ulm’s first run of the game. It was a sign of things to come, as an error put into play by Alex Portner in the third scored a run to make it a 4-2 game, followed by a Hubbard sacrifice fly for an RBI. Dirk Haynes then hit a two-RBI single to take New Ulm’s first lead of the game, 5-4. New Ulm loaded up the bases later in the same inning, with Evan Blekestad being hit by a pitch for another RBI and Backer hitting a two-run single for an 8-4 lead.

The Gold weren’t done scoring, as the bats stayed hot in the fifth inning. Jake Finstad earned two RBIs with a single to make it a 10-4 game, then Levi Hopp walked in a run for an 11-4 advantage. Finstad scored on a passed ball and Hunter Larson came home on a Blekestad sacrifice fly before Haynes put an error into play to score Ryan Rathmann to complete the 10-run win.

Levi Hopp said that, while it would be nice to start games off faster, it was good to see the team be able to work back from a deficit.

Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm's Kyle Albrecht rounds third during a DI Senior Legion Sub-State 2 Baseball Tournament game against the Mankato National Thursday at Wolverton Field.

“We’d like to start faster, but any time you come back and 10-run a team, you’re pretty happy with that,” he said. “But overall, we’d like to start faster.”

GAME 2

The second game of the day was more back-and-forth, with four ties and four lead changes over the course of the game. Down one run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Kyle Albrecht sent a ball into the middle infield. Levi Hopp was able to score, then an errant throw over to third gave Larson a chance to win the game.

He took it.

“I had to score to win the game and seal it,” Larson said. “See no one was by the ball, so I just ran home and scored.”

Larson scored standing as the Gold advanced to the semifinals round of the tournament.

“It was just a fun moment,” he said. “It was a tight game all along, so we just kept plugging away and came out with the win.”

Backer got the win on the mound, striking out five and allowing four runs, three earned, on nine hits in a complete game. At the plate, Levi Hopp again recorded three hits, adding an RBI and a run scored. Hubbard and Haynes each had a hit and a run scored.

Andrew Lee took the loss for Marshall, striking out one and allowing two unearned runs on one hit in 1 1/3 innings. Eli Weedman started the game, striking out two and allowing three runs, two earned, on six hits in 5 1/3 innings. At the plate, Andrew Stelter was 4 for 4 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.

Marshall scored the opening run of the game as Chase Alcorn’s single scored Stelter in the first inning. New Ulm was able to take the lead in the bottom of the second, with Haynes executing a double steal with Hubbard to score a run, then Levi Hopp singled to bring home Hubbard. A solo homer by Stelter tied the game in the fifth at 2, then Marshall took the advantage once again in the sixth, with Lee putting a ball into play to bring home Tyler Kraft for a 3-2 lead.

New Ulm tied it up in the bottom of the inning, with Albrecht scoring on a passed ball, but a strikeout from Lee ended the inning without any more New Ulm runs. In the top of the seventh, Ethan Boeck’s single led to an RBI double from Stelter to give Marshall a 4-3 lead with no outs. However, Backer and the New Ulm defense stayed resilient, taking all three outs without giving up another run.

Levi Hopp got a single with one out in the bottom of the seventh, but a flyout put the pressure on New Ulm. Hunter Larson drew a walk to put runners on first and second as Albrecht stepped to the plate. Albrecht sent the ball to second base, where it was unable to be fielded, allowing Levi Hopp to come home and tie the game. The throw to get Larson out at third sailed wide, opening the opportunity for him to come home as well.

“Anywhere in the order, we can get things going,” Larson said. “It’s nice. Get things going whenever.”

New Ulm now faces the Mankato American in the semifinals round of the tournament Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Wolverton Field.