New Ulm Sports Central - Preserving and Sharing New Ulm Area Sports History

SLEEPY EYE - New Ulm Jr. Legion erupted for four runs in the sixth inning to top Sleepy Eye 8-4 as double elimination play for the Second District VFW baseball tournament here Thursday with four games. Games will continue Friday at Sleepy Eye and Essig.

In Thursday's lineup Dassel topped Fairmont 9-6, Mankato edged South St. Paul 4-2 amd Eagan nosed out St. Peter 8-5 with New Ulm sending Sleepy Eye to the elimination bracket in the night-cap. The tournament's champion goes on to the state VFW play at St. Cloud.

Games Friday begin with Fairmont meeting South St. Paul at 10 a.m. and St. Peter playing sleepy Eye at 1 p.m. At Sleepy Eye, Dassel goes against Mankato at 10 a.m. and Eagan faces New Ulm at 1 p.m. witha winner-loser game at 4 p.m. at both Essig and Sleepy Eye. The Fairmont-South St. Paul winner plays the loser of the Eagan-New Ulm game at 4 p.m. Winner of the St. Peter-Sleepy Eye contest goes against the Dassel-Mankato loser.

Three games Saturday narrow the field to two finalists who play Sunday at 1 p.m. and a possible second game if both survivors have one loss.

Two big blows set up the win for New Ulm. Zach Hoffmann belted a three-run homer over the left field fence in the third and Jason Shaul cleared the bases with a double in the sixth inning four-run rally. Sleepy Eye had scored three in the fifth when Scott Salfer's 3-2 pitch single and an error chased in three runs to tie up the game at 4-all. Shaul pitched two scoreless innings in relief, but had two men on base in each of the innings.

Sleepy Eye ... 010 030 0 --- 4 4 0 6 LOB

New Ulm ....... 003 124 x --- 8 10 2 7 LOB

Kral, Salfer (6) and Kopacek; Loose, Shaul (6) and Johnson. Winner - Shaul. Loser - Kral.