Austin VFW Post #1216 baseball team finishes regular season with pair of wins over Waseca, Rochester Rockets

The Austin VFW Post #1216 baseball team closed out the regular season with games at home Friday night versus Waseca, and in Rochester versus the Rockets on Saturday, and in the game at Marcusen Park Friday evening, Post #1216 used a passed ball in the bottom of the seventh inning to push across the winning run in a 5-4 walk-off win, and in Saturday’s game, Austin belted out 14 hits and used a six-run top of the second inning to crack the game wide open in a 13-1, five-inning victory.

In the game versus Waseca Friday evening, the visitors tallied two runs in the top of the third and two more in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead, but Austin rallied back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 4, and the single run in the bottom of the seventh gave Post #1216 the win.

Offensively for Austin, leadoff hitter Landon Meyer was 2 for 3, Peyton Ransom went 2 for 4, Sam Oelfke was 1 for 3 for Post #1216 with a double, Isaac Nelson and Dane Schara were both 1 for 2, with Schara picking up a RBI, and Isaac Osgood, Isaiah Conway and Cooper Napton all picked up RBI’s in the contest as well.

Blake Cumings got the start on the mound for Austin and pitched into the fourth inning, giving up four runs, two earned, on two hits, striking out three, walking five and hitting three batters, and Peyton Ransom came on in relief and went the rest of the way for the win, giving up no runs on no hits, striking out two and walking two.

In Saturday’s game at Rochester, Post #1216 tallied three in the first, six in the second to take a 9-0 lead, and they then added one in the fourth and three in the fifth on their way to the five-inning win.  There were offensive stars aplenty for Austin in the lopsided win, including Dane Schara, who went 2 for 3 with a double and four RBI’s, Sam Winkels was 1 for 3 with two runs knocked in, Blake Cummings went 2 for 3 with a pair of singles and one RBI, Peyton Ransom was 1 for 3 for Post #1216 with a RBI, Logyn Brooks went 2 for 3 with a double, Cooper Napton picked up a hit in four official trips to the plate, Sam Oelfke was 2 for 3 and Landon Meyer, Isaac Nelson  and Jack Klingfus all added one hit apiece in the 14-hit attack for Austin.

Sam Oelfke went the distance on the mound for the win in the contest as he pitched  five innings and gave up the one Rochester run, which was earned, on four hits, striking out seven and walking two.

Austin finishes the regular season with a District 1 record of 8-6 and 9-6 overall, and Post #1216 will be back into action in the District tournament next weekend, with a site and game times yet to be determined.