Austin Daily Herald

After a hard-fought loss in the first round of the Faribault Tournament, the Austin Legion Post 91 baseball team came back for two consolation-round wins for fifth place Saturday and Sunday.

The local Legion team fell 3-2 to Wayzata in Thursday's opener, but bounced back to get a pair of victories with solid pitching and plenty of offense. Post 91 pounded host Faribault 6-3 in Saturday's consolation semifinals, and Austin held off a strong Lakeville squad 8-7 in Sunday's fifth-place game.

"After a tough loss to Wayzata the kids came back and played two very good games," said Austin coach Bob Stratton.

Post 91 got a complete game out of Saturday's starting pitcher as Andy Klapperick threw just under 100 pitches in the 6-3 win. Klapperick struck out eight and walked only one, controlling Faribault throughout the contest.

Austin scored three times in the top of the first inning, twice in the third, and another in the fourth for a 6-0 lead. Faribault tallied runs in the sixth and seventh.

Matt Johnson's three-run homer sparked the local Legion victory in the top of the first. Klapperick and Nick Bowe scored ahead of him after reaching on singles.

Bowe doubled and scored what would prove to be the game-winning run on a single by Kyle Rizzi in the third. Jim Knoebel drove in another Austin run with a single later in the inning.

Klapperick scored Austin's final run on a fielder's choice grounder in the fourth.

Faribault did pose something of a threat in the final inning, collecting a pair of singles and a walk. The tying run came to the plate with one out, but Klapperick closed the door on the host team's comeback attempt.

Austin kept its offensive momentum going into Sunday's final round, holding off Lakeville 8-7 for fifth place. A trio of Post 91 pitchers got the job done, highlighted by Nels Nelson's perfect 1 2/3 innings for the save.

Nelson came on protecting an 8-7 lead with Lakeville having already scored one in the bottom of the sixth off Neil Toov. Nelson struck out the next two batters to end the inning and retired Lakeville in order in the seventh to end the game.

Mike Leathers and Toov both pitched 2 2/3 innings, and Toov got the win in this see-saw affair.

"The pitching in all three games was very good with Rizzi (on Thursday) and Klapperick and even in the final game Leathers, Toov and Nelson pitched very well against a tough Twin Cities area team," Coach Stratton said. "We now need to maintain the hitting level we have had for the past two games."

Rizzi's two-run double with two outs highlighted Austin's three-run third inning. A pair of Lakeville errors kept Post 91's inning alive, allowing Toov and Grant Lunning to reach base. Bowe then reached on an error to the right fielder -- allowing Toov to score -- and Rizzi followed with a two-run double.

Leathers, Lunning and Bowe all drove in runs in Austin's four-run second. Leathers plated Knoebel with a fielders's choice, Lunning drove in Brett Hovey with a single, and Bowe scored two more with a two-out single.

Austin, now 7-4 overall, searches for its first league win this week. Post 91 is 0-2 in its league, starting the three-game week with a trip to Owatonna tonight at 7 p.m.

Waseca comes to town Thursday for a 7 p.m. contest, and Austin goes to the Rochester Redhawks Sunday at noon.

Call Ross Thede at 434-2234 or e-mail him at :mailto:sports@austindailyherald.com.

Linescores:

Austin3021000--6

Faribault0000021--3

Andy Klapperick and Nate Bergene; Nick Rost and Uriah Cross. WP--Klapperick. LP--Rost.

Austin1403000--8

Lakeville2031010--7

Mike Leathers, Neil Toov (3), Nels Nelson (6) and Nate Bergene; Michael Dressen and John Arlt. WP--Toov. LP--Dressen. Sv--Nelson.