Selk#039;s grand slam saves Greyhounds
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, August 20, 2002
It seemed only fitting for the Austin Greyhounds to have to wait a little longer, but there wasn’t much suspense involved in the final decision.
Craig Selk’s walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 12th inning gave Austin’s Class B amateur baseball team a 6-2 victory over Hutchinson Sunday in the opening round of the 2002 state tournament at St. Cloud after rain and lightning postponed the game from Friday night.
The Greyhounds (34-17) got a combined 14 strikeouts from pitchers Chris Pack and Dave Meyer, and the offense loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the 12th.
Selk’s third home run was by far his biggest shot of the season, vaulting the Greyhounds into the second round of the 16-team double-elimination tournament.
Austin outhit the Huskies 17-9, getting three hits apiece from Selk and Matt Cano. Tate Cummins had two hits for the ‘Hounds.
Pack struck out eight, walked one and allowed six hits before leaving with a 2-1 deficit through seven innings. Austin scored a solo run in the bottom of the eighth to tie, and Meyer kept Hutchinson (16-14) scoreless for five innings. He struck out six, walked three, and allowed only three hits.
Of the eight top-seeded teams from regional play, Austin was one of only two (Jordan) to advance as first-round winners.
The Greyhounds, winners of the Region 2B tournament, will face Southern Minny League opponent Waseca (23-10) in the quarterfinals Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud. The Braves defeated Red Wing 3-0 in a rain-delayed game Sunday afternoon.
The Rochester Royals take on Hastings at 5 p.m. in St. Cloud Friday, and the Greyhounds’ game will follow.
In Cold Spring, Grand Rapids will face Jordan and Bemidji will meet Apple Valley.
Linescore
Hutch
020 000 000 000 — 2
9 2
Austin
000 010 010 004 — 6 17 2
Ketel, Moselle (5), Messner (7) and Brant; Pack, Meyer (8) and Rohne. WP --Meyer. LP -- Messner.