FAIRMONT – The Fairmont VFW Post 1222 and New Ulm Silver baseball teams exchanged leads three times and tied once on Friday night.

But Ike Donnelly’s hit in the bottom of the seventh inning secured Post 1222’s win at Herb Wolf Field in Fairmont.

The two teams were tied at 11-all going into the seventh. Post 1222 pitcher Brady Allen walked Ryan Esser and an error got Owen Rich on base.

Post 1222 turned around flipped a double play to get Kaden Gilp, who had reached on a fielder’s choice, and Caden Hames out to end the inning.

Collin Steuber led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a walk for Post 1222 before Allen’s hit dropped into right field.

A misunderstanding on the umpire’s call caused both coaches to think Post 1222 had recorded its first out. Steuber, who had made it most of the way to third base, ran back to second as a result.

“I thought the ump called him out, but he meant it hit the ground,” said Post 1222 head coach Todd Sukalski.

Silver did, however, get Allen out on a fielder’s choice that put Jordan Wolter on first. It didn’t hurt Post 1222, though. Donnelly came up to bat and hit the ball just hard enough to give Steuber the time he needed to beat the throw home and win the game.

“We 10-run (ruled) this team before; we beat them, 11-1,” Sukalski said. “So, we shouldn’t be this close with them, and that’s frustrating.”

Post 1222 earned its first lead of the game after scoring five runs in the second inning.

Josh Seidl, Braden Zimmerman and Ryan Esser all scored in the first inning to give Silver the early lead. Zimmerman scored a second time in the top of the second for the 4-1 lead. He singled past second base to reach before scoring on a Post 1222 error.

Wolter led off the bottom of the second for Fairmont with a hit to left field. Zach Ringnell also got a hit, scoring Wolter.

Jacob Tennyson kept the hitting going for the home team, smacking a triple to get Dan Reiter – Ringnell’s courtesy runner – home.

Zimmerman walked Camren Saxton, and a Silver error put Colby Kuhl on base while also allowing Tennyson and Saxton to add to Post 1222’s scoring to narrow Silver’s lead, 4-3.

The home team gained the lead as Kuhl and Lance Becker, who got hit with a pitch, trotted home on Steuber’s double to the left-field fence for the 6-4 score.

Schaeffer then came in and replaced Zimmerman on the mound for New Ulm, getting the final two outs of the inning.

Silver took advantage of two Post 1222 errors and a two-out hit from Wyatt Roberts to load the bases in the third. Esser singled to allow Ashton Hames, who reached on an error, to get home. Noah Hauge reached first on the second error before scoring after Allen, who replaced Nate Kallenbach in the third on the hill, hit Rich with a pitch.

Aaron Portner knocked a double down the left-field line, bringing in Roberts and Esser. But Caden Hames grounded out to end the four-run inning.

Becker hit a leadoff double in the bottom of the fourth and scored on Wolter’s two-out single.

Allen walked Collen and Esser to start the fifth. Rich hit a sacrifice bunt to advance his teammates. Gilp followed with an RBI single after Collen beat the throw home.

Brendan Bieraugel got an RBI single to score Esser, and Gilp ran home on a wild pitch.

Post 1222 tied the game with four runs scored in the bottom of the inning. Tennyson was able to get to second base on a dropped fly ball. Saxton walked to first before Tennyson ran home on Jack Hested’s hit.

Saxton scored a second time in the game via Kallenbach’s RBI double, while Hested and Kallenbach made it home on Becker’s double.

“I thought we had some really good at-bats today. A lot of extra-base hits, and we ran the bases well,” Sukalski said.

Kallenbach finished with two hits and a run scored for Fairmont. Tennyson had a double and triple on 2-for-3 hitting and provided Post 1222 with two runs scored with an RBI.

Kallenbach gave up four runs on four hits with five walks, one strikeout and one hit batter over two innings. Allen allowed seven runs on six hits, walked three and hit one batter in five innings of work to pocket the win.

“He did pretty well. Brady gave us a good chance to win that game,” Sukalski said.

But with five errors committed, Sukalski said the team still has some work to do.

“We have to clean up our defense,” he said. “These guys will work at it. That’s the thing I like about this group of guys – they like baseball, they work hard and they will work on it.”

Fairmont Post 1222 (9-2) plays at Lake Crystal for a doubleheader at 10 a.m. today.

NU 314 030 0-11 10 2

FMT 050 140 1-12 14 5

Braden Zimmerman, Collen Schaeffer (2), Brendan Bieraugel (5, LP) and Owen Rich, Wyatt Roberts (2). Nate Kallenbach, Brady Allen (3, WP) and Zach Ringnell.

LOB-New Ulm 10, Fairmont 8. 2B-Nate Kallenbach (F), Lance Becker (F) 2, Collin Steuber (F), Jacob Tennyson (F), Ryan Esser (NU), Aaron Portner (NU). 3B-Jacob Tennyson (F). SAC-Owen Rich (NU).