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Gold flattens Blue Earth in district

MANKATO — Right-hander Braden Zimmerman held the potent Blue Earth VFW Post 4580 bats in check, while he and his New Ulm Gold teammates churned out 18 hits during first-round 2nd District Tournament baseball action Thursday.

Zimmerman fired a six-hit complete-game mound masterpiece, Alex Hillesheim tripled twice en route to three RBIs, while Nolan Drill collected three hits and scored three runs to power Gold to a 15-1 playoff victory over Blue Earth at Franklin Rogers Park in Mankato.

New Ulm Gold advances to play Shakopee today in a 2 p.m. championship-bracket contest back at Rogers Park. Shakopee edged Hutchinson, 6-5 in eight innings, during Thursday’s opener.

Blue Earth, the Southwest Sub-District champion, faces Hutchinson today in a 2 p.m. elimination game at Mankato East High School’s diamond.

“All three of my pitches were working today, but my curveball was the most effective,” said Zimmerman, who also utilized his fastball and changeup to record five strikeouts in seven innings of work. “My catcher (Josh Seidl) did a great job of calling for my curve in the right situation at the right time.”

Hillesheim combined offensive forces with leadoff batter Jaden Domeier and No. 2 hitter Teagan Kamm to stake Zimmerman to a quick 1-0 lead. Domeier legged out an infield hit, swiped second base and wheeled to third when Kamm deadened a perfect bunt for an uncontested hit. Domeier then sprinted home for the game’s initial run when Hillesheim skied a sacrifice fly to shallow right-center.

After issuing his only walk of the game to Gavin Storbeck and allowing the first of Hunter Bleess’ three hits on the game, Zimmerman delivered the second of his pivotal strikeouts to thwart Blue Earth’s early threat in the home half of the first.

Drill, Noah Hauge and Colten Schaefer produced consecutive one-out singles in the top of the second for New Ulm before plating a pair of runs via two of Blue Earth’s five errors on the game to extend Gold’s lead to 3-0.

Drill then flashed his sure-handed leather at third base to rob Post 4580 batter Cooper Amundson of a hit via a hard-driven liner during the last of the second.

Bleess then worked around Zimmerman’s one-out single in the third to keep the game tight before New Ulm’s defense delivered a momentum-halting sequence.

“I have to give a lot of credit to my defense for making numerous nice plays behind me today,” said Zimmerman, whose lineup did not commit an error on the day.

Koby Nagel legged out a leadoff bunt hit, took second on Caelan Sanders’ single to left and both advanced 90 feet on Gavin Storbeck’s perfect sacrifice bunt during the last of the third.

Karson Legred lofted a sacrifice fly to Domeier in center field to plate Nagel, but New Ulm escaped further damage when Zimmerman relayed Domeier’s peg to Drill at third base for the inning-ending double play.

Hillesheim tripled and crossed the plate on Zimmerman’s sacrifice fly to account for Gold’s solo fifth-frame run before Hillesheim unloaded a two-run triple to highlight New Ulm’s four-run sixth at-bat. Drill singled and later scored on Schaefer’s RBI single before Domeier singled. Hille-sheim’s second extra-base blast plated both teammates.

New Ulm then sent 13 players to the batter’s box during a seven-run, seven-hit offensive avalanche during the top of the seventh to put the game out of reach.

“Everybody up and down our lineup hit the ball with authority today to build an early lead and our defense did the rest,” said Zimmerman.

Mark Schommer and Ted Giefer each supplied RBI pinch-hit singles, T.J. Sweere notched a run-scoring pinch-hit double, Zimmerman added his second sacrifice fly and Aaron Portner chipped in an RBI single to highlight Gold’s late scoring surge.

Bleess went 3-for-3, including a sixth-inning double, to top Blue Earth’s six-hit effort, while Nagel went 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Bleess allowed 13 runs — only six earned — on 13 hits, fanned one, walked one and hit four batters in six-plus innings on the mound to absorb the loss.

Schaefer and Domeier each collected two of New Ulm’s 18 hits, with both players scoring two runs apiece.

NU 120 014 7 — 15 18 0

BE 001 000 0 — 1 6 5

Braden Zimmerman (WP) and Josh Seidl. Hunter Bleess (LP), Kyle Hagedorn (7) and Karson Legred.

LOB–New Ulm Gold 8, Blue Earth 6. 2B–Bleess (BE), T.J. Sweere (NU). 3B–Alex Hillesheim (NU) 2. SF–Zimmerman (NU) 2, Karson Legred (BE), Hillesheim (NU). SAC–Gavin Storbeck (BE), Luke Mertens (BE), Colten Schaefer (NU).

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