The Austin VFW Post 1216 baseball team keeps on rolling.

Austin took care of business again at Marcusen Park Wednesday as it closes in on a first place finish in the District standings. Austin blanked Red Wing 12-0 in five innings in a District contest and it beat RW 6-5 in eight innings in a non-District game.

Jake Reinartz struck out six and he never allowed a runner past second base as he picked up the shutout in game one. Reinartz allowed just one hit and one walk.

“I was feeling pretty good, but I probably could’ve been a little more loose in the beginning,” Reinartz said. “There were a couple of innings where I felt that I was probably throwing the best I have all season as far as velocity and location.”

The middle of Austin’s order did most of the damage in the opening win as Dylan Gasner had a double, a triple and an RBI, Nate Conner had two doubles and three RBIs and Alec Ciola was 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs.

With just three games left on the District schedule, Post 1216 controls its own destiny and it could clinch things up with two more wins. Austin leads Owatonna and Rochester Mayo by one game in the standings.

“We’re feeling really good as a team,” Reinartz said. “The top five hitters are providing the runs and the defense does the rest.”

Post 1216 won the nightcap when Brayden Merritt beat out an infield single to knock in the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning.

“We played with a lot of positive energy today and the it was entire team win in both games,” Austin head coach Joe Ciola said.

RW 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 1 3

Austin 4 5 1 2 X — 12 9 1

Austin pitching: Jake Reinartz (W) 5 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 6 K

Austin hitting: Trevor Stevens, 0-for-1, R, 2 BBs, SB; Dylan Gasner, 2-for-3, triple, double, RBI, 2 R; Daniel Bollingberg, 1-for-1, double, RBI, 2 BBs, 3 R, SB; Nate Conner, 2-for-3, 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, 2 R; Alex Ciola, 3-for-3, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, R; Riley Olson, 0-for-3; Shane Johannsen, 1-for-3, R, SB; Jason Stoulil, 0-for-2; Brandon Bickell, 0-for-2, RBI, R, SB

RW 0 3 1 0 1 0 0 0 — 5 5 4

Austin 0 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 — 6 8 3

Austin pitching: Eli Kaercher, 2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 1 K; Jason Stoulil, 1 IP, 3 BB, 1 ER; Conner (W) 5 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 1 ER, 5 K

Austin hitting: Pete Conner, 0-for-1; Kaercher, 0-for-2, BB; Reinartz, 2-for-3, double, 2 R; Forrest Lewis, 2-for-4, RBI; Brayden Merritt, 1-for-4, RBI, R, BB; Garett Ruroden, 1-for-3, R, BB; Evan Horstmann, 1-for-3, R, BB; Tanner Steene, 0-for-2, R, 2 BBs; Johannsen, 1-for-3, 2 RBIs; Olson, 0-for-2; Nate Conner, 0-for-1, BB; Brandon Bickell, 0-for-1