The Hayfield Heat qualified for the Class ‘C’ state amateur baseball tournament in just their second year as a team.

Weston Hansen pitched 12 solid innings as the Heat rolled past Winona 9-4 and edged out the Owatonna Aces 5-3 in a pair of elimination games at the Region 5C tournament in Marcusen Park Saturday.

The Heat (16-11) had lost to Winona three times earlier this summer and they lost to Owatonna 12-0 earlier in the Region Tournament.

Hayfield committed three first inning errors against Owatonna to fall behind 3-0, but that was all the runs they would allow.

Marty Dick knocked in a run with a single in the second and Hayfield bounced back in the bottom of the eighth by scoring four times and taking the lead for good.

Tyler Nelson singled in a run and Craig Selk knocked in Nelson with a single to tie the game. Then Tyler Krekling came up with the biggest hit of the season as he lined an outside pitch down the right field line to score two runs.

Hansen retired Owatonna in order to clinch the state berth.

Hayfield took over the Winona game by scoring six times in the third to take a 7-0 lead. Shawn Palmer, Josh Evans and Darin Wagner all had RBI-singles in the frame.

The Heat will open the Class ‘C’ state tournament against Hanska Sunday in Glencoe at 11 a.m.

Hayfield 0 1 0 6 0 1 0 1 0 – 9 8 1

Winona 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 – 4 10 2

Heat pitching: Weston Hansen, 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 K; Ben Pollock (W), 6 IP, 8 H, 4 BB, 4 R, 2 K

Heat hitting: Tyler Nelson 1-for-4, BB, R, SB; Shawn Palmer 1-for-5, RBI, R; Craig Selk 1-for-3, 2 BBs, 3R; Josh Evans 1-for-2, 3 BBs, RBI, 2R, SB; Tyler Krekling 1-for-2, RBI; Darin Wagner 1-for-4, 3 RBIs; Marty Dick 1-for-4, BB, RBI, R; Travis Kauffman 1-for-5, double; Shane Barry 0-for-3, HBP, R.

Owatonna 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 – 3 6 2

Hayfield 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 x – 5 8 3

Heat pitching: Weston Hansen (W), 9 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 R, 9 K

Heat hitting: Nelson 1-for-4, RBI, R; Palmer 0-for-2, BB; Selk 1-for-3, HBP, RBI, R; Evans 1-for-4, R; Krekling 1-for-3, BB, RBI, R; Wagner 2-for-4; Dick 1-for-4, RBI; Kauffman 1-for-3, 2B, R; Barry 0-for-3.