Austin 17U baseball team goes 1-1 for weekend

The Austin 17U baseball team was in Southern Minny League action in Byron Saturday and in Owatonna on Sunday, and the squad was a winner in dramatic fashion Saturday 6-5, while falling Sunday 18-8.

In the Saturday game played in Byron because of poor field conditions in Austin due to heavy thunderstorms, Austin was the home team and trailed 5-1 before rallying with four runs in the bottom of the 6th to knot the game at five apiece.  In the 7th, Austin loaded the bases with one out when Blake Smith blooped a single over a drawn-in infield to score Kody Blum with the winning run in a 6-5 walk-off win.

Smith was 1 for 3 for the game with 2 RBI’s, while Dusty Copley led a seven-hit attack for Austin by going 3 for 4 with a pair of runs knocked in.  Bray Klapperick was 1 for 3 with a RBI, and Mac Nelson and Nick Robertson also rapped a hit apiece for Austin in the win.

In the Sunday game versus Owatonna, Austin held a 4-2 lead after an inning and a half before the hosts hung up a seven spot in the bottom of the 2nd and another in the 5th on their way to an 18-8, 5-inning win.

Austin belted out seven hits in the loss, as they were led by Lathan Wilson, who was 2 for 3 with a pair of RBI’s and two runs scored, Dusty Copley was 2 for 2 with a double and also scored a pair of runs, Bray Klapperick was 1 for 4 with two runs knocked in, Jordan Ransom was 1 for 3 with an RBI, Logan Murphy was also 1 for 3 with a pair of runs scored and Blake Smith and Mac Nelson also scored a run apiece for Austin, who is now 3-2 on the season.

Austin returns to action Wednesday night at Marcusen Park versus Rochester Century, with first pitch at 7 p.m.