The 2001 Austin Legion Post 91 baseball team lacked offense, plain and simple. But if the start of the new season has any indication of things to come, the 2002 team has something to look forward to.

Post 91 pounded out 11 hits and 11 runs in their season-opener Tuesday night at Marcusen Park in Austin, torching Faribault 11-1 in six innings.

Kyle Rizzi was the beneficiary of some rare run-support and sound defense around him. Faribault leadoff hitter, who reached on Austin’s only error, was thrown out at the plate. Faribault took the lead later in the inning, 1-0, but Post 91 opened up the offense. Brett Hovey delivered a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the fourth to plate Nick Bowe and Mike Leathers, both of whom walked. Matt Johnson scored Austin’s go-ahead run on a wild pitch after getting hit in his at-bat. Hovey, a 2001 Austin High grad, is still young enough to compete for the Legion team, and coach Bob Stratton is glad he is.

&uot;He called me this year and said he was going to play for me and to be ready for him,&uot; Stratton said after his team’s season-opening rout. &uot;We kind of think we have a lot of good athletes on this team. The first part of hitting is getting them to believe they can hit. That’s half the battle.&uot;

Hovey also scored the tying run after reaching on an error in the second. Nine different Austin batters had at least one hit, led by two apiece from Johnson and Nick Bowe. Johnson scored three runs while Nate Bergene drove in a pair in Austin’s three-run fifth. Jordan VanProosdy’s pinch-hit single in the sixth plated Johnson with Austin’s 11th run, ending the 10-run-rule rout with two outs.

Rizzi gave up two of Faribault’s six hits in the first inning, but rebounded to strike out six and walk only one. Bergene, the catcher from Southland, threw out two of three attempted base-stealers.

&uot;It’s nice to have that arm that you can count on, and it’s nice to start with a 10-run game,&uot; Rizzi said. &uot;Hopefully this will get everybody going.&uot;

Leadoff hitter Grant Lunning, a LeRoy-Ostrander graduate, was 1-2 with a stolen base and two runs scored. Jim Knoebel had a pinch-hit RBI-single, and Brad Wiechmann singled and scored in his only plate appearance. Even with the offensive outburst, Austin will need to maintain a high level of play when the Rochester A’s come to town for a league doubleheader tonight at 6 p.m. at Marcusen. The A’s are one of the top teams in the area and the state. Post 91 ends the week Friday and Saturday at the Red Haddox Wood Bat Tournament in Bloomington.