Brewers fall in third round of state tourney

Staff photo by Ari Selvey
New Ulm’s Adam Nilson takes a lead off of second during a Class C Amateur Baseball State Tournament Game against Nisswa Saturday at Optimist Park in Litchfield.

LITCHFIELD — The New Ulm Brewers were shut out in the third round of the Class C Amateur Baseball State Tournament, losing 4-0 to the Nisswa Lightning Saturday at Optimist Park.

Mitch Bockenstedt took the loss, getting nine strikeouts while allowing six hits and three earned runs in eight innings pitched. On offense, Hunter Randweiler was 2 for 4, while Cole Randweiler had a double.

Brewers manager Al Flor, looking back at the season, wished it could have gone longer, but was proud of how his team had performed.

“Season was productive,” he said. “Always not a good feeling when it comes to an end. But only one team gets to end it on a win. It’s pretty tough competition. Little disappointing, lost in the same spot we did last year, but it was a really good year.”

Nisswa opened the game with a score in the first inning off of an error and a single. New Ulm loaded the bases in the second, but were unable to push a run across the plate.

Both teams had quick third and fourth innings, but Nisswa scored once more in the fifth after Bockenstedt hit a batsman with the bases loaded. New Ulm third baseman Colten Schaefer fielded a grounder and forced a double play to prevent any more damage in the inning.

The Brewers got a runner in Cole Randweiler to third base in the sixth, but he was left stranded after a strikeout. In the seventh inning, Nisswa’s Kody Ruedisili hit a long home run over the left field fence, bringing in two more runs to go up 4-0.

New Ulm had one last chance in the top of the ninth and managed to load the bases, but Schaefer was popped up for the final out of the game.