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New Bremen, Wapak win |
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Wednesday, 02 July 2008 |
By BRIAN SMITH
Sports Editor
MINSTER — There’s something about Melcher Street Park that brings out the best in the New Bremen ACME team’s bats.
Less than a week after scoring 11 runs in a win over Minster, the Cardinals opened their ACME tournament with a 10-5 win over St. Marys on Tuesday night to advance in the double-elimination sectional tournament.
New Bremen (10-7) sent nine batters to the plate and scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back — adding on runs in the second, third and fourth innings.
“It was a great way to start the game,” New Bremen coach Eric Nelson said. “We started out the same way here on Friday against Minster. It could have helped us (that New Bremen played here recently). We knew how the field was.”
Now New Bremen takes on Minster again on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. St. Marys follows that game up with a game against New Knoxville, who fell to Wapakoneta 6-0 on Tuesday night (see B1 Story).
“We put ourselves in a big hole,” St. Marys coach Russell Taylor said. “We went a week without playing because of the rain and New Bremen found holes and put it in play.”
The top of the New Bremen order was especially pesky, with lead-off man Corey Jutte leading off the first two innings by getting on base and scoring.
“We wanted to keep (lead-off hitter) Jutte off the bases,” Taylor said. Instead, the centerfielder singled in the first inning and scored on a Jared Cox single that ignited the six-run first inning.
Jutte walked and scored to lead off the second inning on a stolen base and two wild pitches to make it 7-1.
“Everybody in the line-up got on base and put it in play,” Nelson said. “It was a total team effort.”
Hank Zwiep started the game and got the win for New Bremen. The lanky righthander was relieved by Corey Jutte in the win.
St. Marys’ Taylor did like what he saw from the bottom of his batting order. The seven-eight-nine hitters Matt Watkins, Mitch Knous and Tyler Miller were on base six times on Wednesday night in 12 plate appearnces, including a 2-for-3 night by Roughrider outfielder Mitch Knous.
“Those guys swung the bats well and got on base,” Taylor said.
New Bremen got six runs on six hits in the first. Jutte singled before Dylan Crisp bunted him over. Jared Cox started an RBI train with a single to drive home Jutte. Spencer Rohr followed it up with a solid single up the middle, and Hank Zwiep was hit by a pitch.
Caleb Cox singled in a run to make it 3-1, before a wild pitch made it 4-1. With two outs, Ryan Evers picked up a big two-run single to cap off the inning’s scoring.
St. Marys struck first in the game with a run on an RBI ground out by Cody Martin.
St. Marys scored a run in the fourth when Derek Roop singled and came around to score.
St. Marys closed the gap to 10-4 with an RBI double by Sam Manning into the right-centerfield gap to score Trevor Kill. Roop then picked up an RBI with a groundout that scored Manning two batters later.
Knous singled in a run with one out in the top of the seventh inning.
Trevor Kill worked 3 and one-third innings for St. Marys to take the loss. Aaron Homan came on and worked two and two-third scoreless innings in relief.
New Bremen now plays its rival Minster in a game that will go a long ways towards deciding the sectional championship. “We have the same gameplan as always,” Nelson said. “We want to get started quickly and get a lead. Minster is not an easy team to beat. We have to be ready to play.”
New Bremen shortstop Spencer Rohr showed off his quick reaction time and arm on a play at shortstop in the top of the fourth inning. St. Marys’ Jake Taylor hit a lined shot towards third base. The ball ricocheted off the third baseman’s glove. Rohr picked up the ball and gunned the ball over from the hole between shortstop and third base to get Taylor by half a step.
“Spencer is young kid with a lot of athleticism and a lot of potential,” Nelson said. Rohr went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. He lined a laser off the right field wall in the fourth to drive home the Cardinals’ ninth run.
St. Marys plays New Knoxville at approximately 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday night. This is the first time those two teams have met this season. |
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Last Updated ( Monday, 07 July 2008 )
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