Local Sports

Not “A” problem

Brewers punch state ticket in Class A

FARIBAULT -- Two seasons ago, the New Ulm Brewers made the Class C State Amateur Baseball Tournament.

Last season, New Ulm was bumped up to Class B, but made the state tournament all the same.

Now in Class A, New Ulm defied the odds, coming back from being the bottom seed in the Section 1A Amateur Baseball Tournament to clinch a Class A State Tournament berth with a 9-4 win over the Faribault Lakers on Friday.

"I don't even know," Brewers manager Al Flor said. "I don't have any emotions to describe here. This is one of the first years in a long time where we weren't really expected to make state. To dogfight our way to this position and play probably our best game so far tonight. Our pitching has led our way, we've gotten some good hitting, timely hitting, could have even gotten some more tonight. There's been some good baseball. The kids believe, and it's been quite a few years since we've had this type of emotion running. I'm pretty proud of our guys."

In a season where many believed New Ulm would be outmatched in the top amateur baseball class in the state, the Brewers prevailed, becoming one of four state qualifiers from the section.

"It's a wonderful thing," New Ulm's Colton Schaefer said. "To be in [Class] C, go to state, B, go to state, now A, now we're going to state. It's a wonderful thing for the team, because we came a long ways. Everyone was like, 'Oh, we're going to A,' but we're proving we can compete in A."

Throughout the tournament, New Ulm has displayed a kind of grit that demonstrated the character of the team.

"A team that doesn't have anything to lose is probably one of the most dangerous teams," Flor said. "That's the way I look at it. We didn't have anything to lose playing in this class. Hopefully next year we get to go back down to Class B where we kind of belong and manage our team after that, but this was big. To be on the road every game and win baseball games, pitching, defense -- it's been a blast. I don't have words."

After falling to Hastings 4-1 in the opening round of the tournament, New Ulm bounced back with a 3-0 win over Dundas before avenging its loss against Hastings with a 3-1 win in the elimination tournament. Finally, the 9-4 win over Faribault on Friday punched the Brewers' state ticket.

"We've got to stay competitive," Schaefer said. "Stay in the game, get hard hits, make plays. We have the pitching, we have the fielders, we have the hitters, we have it all."

Mitch Bockenstedt made the start for the Brewers, striking out four and allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits in four innings. Tanner Backer pitched two innings to earn the win, striking out two and allowing two runs, one earned, on no hits, before Tanner Backer pitched three scoreless innings, striking out seven despite sporting a cast on his broken glove hand. At the plate for the Brewers, Justin Hoffmann was 2 for 4 with three RBIs and a run scored, while Noel Davila had two hits and two runs scored and Ayden Jensen had two hits and a run scored. Schaefer added a hit, two RBIs and a run scored, and Wade French had two hits and a run scored.

The Brewers and Lakers traded runs in the first inning, with Sam Keckeisen earning an RBI single for New Ulm. Faribault took the lead in the second, scoring one run on an outfield error, but a fly out and a line out limited the damage. New Ulm loaded up the bases in the fourth, setting up Schaefer for a two-RBI double that turned into three runs on a throwing error.

"It was a great feeling," Schaefer said. "I knew I needed to get the ball to right field, and I executed greatly. I was thinking about it before I went up to bat. It was great."

Schaefer came home on a sacrifice fly to give the Brewers a 5-2 lead, which they didn't relinquish for the rest of the game.

Jason Seidl drew a walk with bases loaded and Luke Suess hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 7-2 game in the fifth inning. The Lakers scored two runs in the sixth on two walks, a ground out and a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 7-4, but Backer earned a strikeout to end the inning. New Ulm got both runs back on a Hoffmann triple, scoring Suess and Davila for a 9-4 advantage in the seventh. Becker entered the game at pitcher and struck out six of the first seven batters he faced as the contest entered the final inning. Faribault did get two hits off of Becker in the bottom of the ninth, but a strikeout and a fly out ended the game with no further runs scored.

New Ulm now travels to play the Rochester Royals in a game on Saturday to determine seeding in the state tournament.