12th inning rally keeps Austin in tournament
COLD SPRING -- Craig Selk hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 12th inning to lift the Austin Greyhounds past Hutchinson 6-2 in the opening round of the Class B Minnesota State Amateur Baseball Tournament on Sunday.
Selk's homer helped the Greyhounds survive a sloppy game. Austin (34-17) collected 16 hits but was not able to come up with many that were timely. Two Austin errors also led to a pair of unearned runs for Hutchinson (16-14).
"We didn't do many things well," Austin player/manager Joe Serratore said.
"But we're happy to be where we're at considering how we played," Serratore added.
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One powerful swing of the bat by the left-handed hitting Selk kept the Greyhounds in the winners' bracket of the 16-team double-elimination tournament.
Matt Cano opened Austin's 12th inning with a walk and Tate Cummins followed with a single to left. Serratore then reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Selk worked the count to 2-1 and then drove a pitch to right field about 375 feet for a home run, his third of the season. The homer came off right-handed pitcher Kyle Messner.
The Greyhounds did get good pitching from Chris Pack and Dave Meyer in the game. Pack allowed a pair of unearned runs in the second. He pitched seven innings before leaving with a strained muscle in his chest. He allowed four hits, walked one and struck out eight.
"Chris Pack and Dave Meyer threw pretty well," Serratore said.
Meyer threw five scoreless innings for the victory. He gave up for hits, walked three and struck out six.
The Greyhounds rallied for single runs in the fifth and eighth innings to tie the game.
Mitch Mullenbach doubled in the fifth and scored when Cummins hit a two-out single.
Austin loaded the bases with one out in the eighth and Tim Kaplan hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game.
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Cano, Selk and Kaplan all had three hits for the Greyhounds while Cummins and Serratore were both 2-for-5.
The Greyhounds will now face Waseca in the second round on Friday. Waseca beat Red Wing 3-0 on Sunday. Austin and Waseca play at 7:30 p.m. at Dick Putz Field in St. Cloud. Prior to that game the Rochester Royals will face Hastings at 5 p.m.
Serratore said the Greyhounds are going to practice on Wednesday to prepare for the next round.
"We know we have to step it up," he said.
GREYHOUNDS 6, HUTCHINSON 2
Hutchinson 020 000 000 000 --2 ; 8 2
; Austin 000 010 010 004 --6 16 2
; Ketel, Moselle (5), Messner (7) and Brant; Pack, D.Meyer (8) and Rohne;.
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2B -- AUS, Hanson, Mullenbach. HR -- AUS, Selk.
