Staff photo by Ari Selvey New Ulm’s Dirk Haynes (second from right, facing camera) celebrates with his teammates after a walk-off hit during a Big South Conference baseball game against Belle Plaine Tuesday at Mueller Park.

NEW ULM — In the bottom of the ninth inning of a Big South Conference baseball game between New Ulm and Belle Plaine, Dirk Haynes hit a single to score Tanner Backer to put the Eagles over the Tigers 5-4 Tuesday at Mueller Park.

“You’ve got to live for those moments,” Haynes said. “Everybody wants to be in those moments you dream to have. And to win the game is fun. It feels great.”

Haynes had a similar game-winning hit in a win over St. Peter on Friday, but this was his first true walk-off hit. The win kept New Ulm undefeated as it improved to 4-0 on the season and will look to continue the streak at Worthington on Thursday.

New Ulm head coach Mike Anderson said the team showed a lot of grit throughout the game.

“It was a great, high-level high school baseball game,” Anderson said. “A lot of back and forth, a lot of outs made on the bases. You think through the game and the scenarios we got out of and the jams that we got out of. It was a good character win and a good win for the boys.”

Backer was the winning pitcher in the game, striking out 11 while allowing no runs on two hits in 5 1/3 innings pitched. Backer had a strong close to the game, delivering eight strikeouts across the final three innings. The New Ulm defense stood strong in the two innings before that, getting several outs on the bases in clutch situations.

“It’s just our mantra of taking it one pitch, one inning and one game at a time,” Anderson said. “We just stayed focus and stayed the course and believed in ourselves.”

Both teams struggled to convert base runners into runs at times in the game, as they each left 11 runners on base. However, it was New Ulm that finally got the clutch hit after Backer doubled to lead off the ninth, followed immediately by Haynes’ game winner.

“I think as a team, we stay together and we keep the energy high,” Haynes said. “It’s a good culture in our dugout, that helps a lot. Last Friday we went deep in the innings, too, and in these ballgames we have to stay composed and keep up the energy. That helps us a lot.”

Haynes made the start in the game for the Eagles, striking out three and allowing four runs on six hits. At the plate for New Ulm, Backer was 2 for 4 with an RBI, while Zach Hubbard was 2 for 4 with a double and a run scored. Kyle Albrecht was 2 for 4 with a run scored, and Ben Alfred was 1 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored.

New Ulm started the scoring in the bottom of the first, putting the first four batters on base as a single by Backer scored Hubbard. Levi Hopp drew a walk to get Ben Alfred home, then Candon Briggs grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Albrecht to make it a 3-0 game.

Belle Plaine got a run on board in the second inning, then three more in the fourth as they collected three hits and drew three walks to take a 4-3 lead. New Ulm was able to tie it up in the bottom of the inning as a sacrifice fly by Alfred scored Cohen Domeier to knot the game at 4.

Both teams tightened up defensively after that, and while several runners were put on base, the extra hit eluded both teams as the game went into extra innings. Backer struck out the first two batters in the eight inning, and while one got on base after a hit by pitch, Backer cleaned it up with his third strikeout of the inning. New Ulm got a leadoff single from Domeier in the bottom of the inning and was bunted over to second by Hubbard. A single by Alfred sent Domeier to third, and New Ulm attempted the squeeze bunt, but the ball popped up for an out and Domeier was thrown out at third to end the inning.

Backer started the ninth inning off by drawing a flyout to center field, but Belle Plaine got on base with a double. Backer issued his 10th and 11th strikeouts of the game to stop the runner from advancing, then hit a double to lead off the bottom of the ninth, setting up Haynes for his walk-off hit.