NEW ULM — New Ulm Gold pitcher Aaron Portner got his run support early on Monday night and used it to coast to a 6-0 shutout victory over Fairmont Post 36 during American Legion baseball action at Mueller Park.

After Gold struck for three runs in the second inning, Portner retired the next 14 batters he faced until giving up a single to Fairmont’s Blake Buntjer in the seventh inning. Portner allowed just three hits, no walks and picked up nine strikeouts in the complete-game win.

The defense behind Portner also was solid, committing no errors and getting a diving catch from Hunter Ranweiler in left field in the first inning and a jumping catch at the fence in foul ground from right fielder Colten Schaefer in the fourth.

“That’s very big just to have good fielding behind me and then to help them out by not giving up walks and all that,” Portner said. “I had good command of my fastballs.”

Jack Hested took the loss for Fairmont in six innings, striking out two batters and allowing three earned runs on nine hits. Fairmont committed four errors in the game.

After Cole Ranweiler led off the bottom of the second with a triple to right field, Chris Knowles promptly brought him in on an RBI single for a 1-0 Gold lead.

Nolan Drill then followed Knowles with a single and Gold scored its second run when Knowles scored on a bunt by Schaefer and a throwing error.

Drill put Gold up 3-0 after scoring on a stolen base by Schaefer and a throw into the outfield from the catcher.

Gold added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth after Jaden Domeier and Josh Seidl started the inning reaching on back-to-back errors. Braden Zimmerman drove in Domeier on a fielder’s choice before Cole Ranweiler scored Seidl on a base hit.

Schaefer walked and scored with two outs from second after an RBI single by Domeier in the bottom of the sixth for the final score.

Cole Ranweiler was 2 for 3 for Gold, while Hunter Ranweiler and Drill each went 2 for 3.

Noah Nelson and Tyson Geerdes added Fairmont’s other two hits — each a single.

New Ulm Gold plays host to Hutchinson at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Mueller Park.

Fairmont (1-4) plays host to Mankato National at 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 1, at Herb Wolf Field in Fairmont.

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Iowa Softball

Newman Catholic 4, North Union 3 — The Knights edged the Warriors by one run during Top of the Iowa Conference action Monday night in Mason City, Iowa.

Ariel Olson homered and doubled to generate two RBIs to pace North Union’s down-to-the-wire performance, while teammate Shawna Person went 2-for-4 with the visitors’ other RBI.

Hope Steinberger went 2-for-4 with a double, Olivia Von Bank singled and scored a run, while Cassie Beadle, Maddie Rolling and Shantel Engeman each contributed hits to the Warriors’ effort.

Warriors’ starting pitcher Emily Meyer allowed four runs — three earned — on seven hits, recorded two strikeouts and issued only one walk in six innings of work to absorb the tough loss.

North Union (10-14) plays host to North Iowa today in a 6 p.m. rescheduled game in Swea City.

NU 000 110 1 — 3 10 x

NC 000 211 x — 4 7 x