Published July 19, 2008 01:07 am - New Ulm Kaiserhoff struggled against the Austin A's Friday, falling 8-6 in the amateur baseball game.
Austin's baby brigade holds off Kaiserhoff
New Ulm rallies, but can't complete comeback
By Jim Rueda
Free Press Sports Editor
NEW ULM
—
Some might say Mackeagon Voyce is still wet behind the ears but, on Friday at New Ulm’s Johnson Park, he put the Kaiserhoff amateur baseball team behind the eight ball.
Fresh out of Hastings High School, Voyce handcuffed the powerful New Ulm lineup for six innings Friday, leading the Austin A’s to an 8-6 South Central Minny League victory. Mackeagon allowed just one unearned run on four hits during the first six frames as Austin built a 7-1 lead.
“I’ve coached him since he was a freshman in high school,” said Craig Selk, who doubles as the A’s manager during the summer and as the Hastings head coach during the school year. “He’s very good about setting people up with his fastball and then trying to use his offspeed stuff to get the hitter off balance.
“He started missing high in the strike zone in the seventh and that’s when they started teeing off on him. When he starts missing high I know it’s time to get him out of there.”
Austin jumped to a 7-0 lead after two innings off New Ulm starter Blake Thorson. Derek Emmanuel ripped a two-run homer to right in the first and Selk added a three-run double in the second.
Kaiserhoff got one back in the fourth on Luke Weinke’s sacrifice fly before rallying for five runs in the seventh. A bases-loaded triple by Travis Taran and an RBI double by Nate Van Roekel chased Voyce from the game. Jon Curry capped the rally with a run-scoring single off reliever Josh Evans.
Thorson settled down after the first two innings for New Ulm. Kyle Kramer relieved him in the sixth and pitched the rest of the way.
“We’ve been short on pitching all year,” said New Ulm’s Tyler Morgan, who finished with a double, two singles and a run scored. “We only had 11 or 12 guys here tonight and not too many pitchers.
“Offensively this is probably the best Kaiserhoff team I’ve played on; we can hit the ball pretty well. If we can get our pitching straightened out before the end of the season we should be OK.”
New Ulm had the potential tying run at the plate in the ninth after Morgan stroked his two-out double, but Evans got Jon Curry to strike out to end the game.
“We’re mostly a bunch of high school kids who are getting ready to play in college,” said Selk. “I’m the old guy on the team. We’re 6-11 now but we’re having fun.”