Jensen, Brewers take home win over Wood Ducks

Staff photo by Ari Selvey
New Ulm’s Sam Keckeisen fields a ball during a non-league game against St. Clair Friday at Johnson Park.

NEW ULM — With the score tied at two, New Ulm’s Ayden Jensen sent a ball deep into center field in the eighth inning of a non-league amateur baseball game against St. Clair.

That was good enough to get him all the way home for an inside-the-park home run and a 4-2 win for the Brewers Friday at Johnson Park.

Sam Keckeisen picked up the win, going eight innings and striking out seven while allowing one two earned runs on seven hits. At the plate, Jensen was 2 for 4 with two RBIs and his home run, while Andrew Peters was 2 for 5 with a run scored and a stolen base. J.T. Hoffmann and Keckeisen each had a hit and an RBI.

New Ulm was able to take advantage of superior defense in the game, as it forced four St. Clair errors and committed only one.

The game started as a defensive battle, with the pitchers going back and forth for five scoreless innings. St. Clair was the first to break the seal, pushing a run across in the top of the sixth. New Ulm struck back in the bottom of the inning, with Cole Ranweiler reaching after being hit by a pitch. Ranweiler stole second, then Keckeisen was able to help his own cause with a single to bring home Ranweiler.

New Ulm took a lead in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out triple by Peters, followed by an RBI single by Hoffmann. The lead was short-lived, however, as St. Clair put one on the board in the top of the eighth to tie it 2-2.

Trevor Nissen led off the bottom of the eighth reaching base on an error, setting up Jensen for his go-ahead homer, where he nearly caught up to Nissen on his way home. Ranweiler took over on the mound in the ninth, striking out two and coaxing a flyout to give the Brewers a win.

New Ulm has one more non-league game at Hutchinson on Wednesday before hosting a Region 2C playoff game on Saturday, July 27. The top-seeded Brewers will play the winner of No. 9 Essig and No. 8 Sleepy Eye.