Austin VFW Post #1216 baseball team wraps up State Tournament play with 16-5 loss to Totino-Grace

The Austin VFW Post #1216 baseball team was looking to stay alive in the 2022 Minnesota State VFW Baseball Tournament versus Totino-Grace in an elimination bracket game at Dick Seltz Field Friday morning, but it was a strong Totino-Grace squad jumping out to a 4-0 lead after a half inning to take a lead they would not relinquish on their way to a 16-5, 6-inning win.

Austin fired back with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first to cut the deficit to 4-3, but Totino-Grace answered back with two runs in the top of the second for a 6-3 lead.  Post #1216 shaved the deficit back to one run in the bottom half of the innnig with two runs of their own to make the score 6-5, but after a scoreless third inning Totino-Grace, who belted out 17 hits in the game took over from there as they tallied three in the fourth, three in the fifth and four more in the top of the sixth on their way to the win.

Offensively for Austin, Dane Schara led the way by going 2 for 3 with two RBI’s, Dakota Retterath went 1 for 3 with a run knocked in, Cooper Napton was 1 for 3 with a double, Landon Meyer and Sam Oelfke each added hits and Peyton Ransom added an RBI.

Austin wraps up the season with a record of 10-10, and the State Tournament continues today (Saturday) and Sunday at Marcusen Park and Dick Seltz Field.