Austin made it close, but saw their season come to an end in a 2-0 loss to Mayo in a Section 1AAA elimination baseball game in Faribault Monday.

The 12th-seeded Packers (6-17 overall) had runners on first and second with one out in the fifth inning, but Jordan Hall flew out and Robert Wahlert struck out to end the frame.

The fourth-seeded Spartans (14-10 overall) took the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Corey Black hit a two-out, two-run double.

In all, the Packers were pleased with how they played in the playoffs, as they played every contest close.

“You want your team playing their best at the end of the year and that’s what we did,” Austin head coach Troy Watkins said. “It’s unfortunate we didn’t play this good a little earlier in the season, but we were just a couple of clutch hits from being 3-0 in the playoffs.”

Mayo went on to beat Faribault 9-1 to advance to the Section 1AAA final four.

Austin pitching: Wahlert (L), 6 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 1 K; Dylan Monson, 1 IP, 0 R, 1 K

Austin hitting: Brady Klingfus, 1-for-3; Hall, 1-for-2, double; Adam Hemann, 1-for-3