Austin shortstop Daniel Bollingberg looks to throw in the first inning against Owatonna Wednesday night at Marcusen Park. — Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

A pair of Lyle-Pacelli baseball players gave the Austin Post 1216 VFW baseball team a big lift as it rallied past Owatonna 8-2 in Marcusen Park Wednesday.

Jordan Hart and Daniel Bollingberg combined for four extra base hits, five RBIs and three runs scored in the win.

The duo had been in slight slumps entering the game, but that came to an end in the fourth inning when Hart doubled and Bollingberg tripled and scored a run to tie the game at 2-2.

“I went up to (Jordan) and said ‘how about we both get a hit for once’ and we both hit the ball hard,” Bollingberg, who was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and picked up the mound win in relief, said. “That seemed to work for us.”

Austin third baseman Jordan Hart just misses Owatonna’s Isaac Rocha on a pick-off attempt Wednesday afternoon at Marcuson Park.

Austin (17-5 overall, 9-4 District) took the lead for good when Jake Reinartz was able to change his luck. Reinartz lost a ball in the wind in the in the fourth inning and had it deflect off his teeth.

“It hurt pretty bad and there was a little bit of blood,” Reinartz said. “I played through it.”

In the sixth inning, Reinartz put Austin up for good when he drove a run scoring infield single to the left side to make it 3-2.

“I really tried to focus on staying back on the ball and I pulled it,” Reinartz said. “It was kind of a pick up for me, because I wasn’t having the best game and we were able to pull through.”

Trevor Stevens made it 4-2 with an RBI-single, Hart tripled in three runs with two outs and Bollingberg doubled in another run to make it 8-2.

Austin has now won seven straight and if it wins next Wednesday against Rochester Lourdes in Marcusen Park at 5 p.m., it will most likely host a first round playoff game.

“This is a really strong group,” Hart said. “We’re coming together and playing as a team. We’re climbing the ladder.”

While Hart and Bollingberg are the only LP players playing for the VFW team, they don’t feel like outsiders.

“It’s just a blast playing with these guys,” Bollingberg said. “We’ve been playing with them forever and we’ve always had a good team. They know how to play baseball and they work hard at it.”

Owatonna 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 — 2 3 1

Austin 0 0 0 2 0 6 X — 8 11 1

Austin pitching: Isaac Schumacher, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 K; Daniel Bollingberg, 2 IP, 0 R, 4 K

Austin hitting: Trevor Stevens, 2-for-4, RBI, R; Dylan Gasner, 1-for-4; Nik Gasner, 1-for-3, BB; Jordan Hart, 2-for-4, triple, double, 3 RBIs, 2 R; Bollingberg, 2-for-4, double, triple, 2 RBIs; Alex Ciola, 1-for-4, double, RBI, R; Brandon Bickel, 0-for-2; Schumacher, 1-for-1, R, 2 BBs, SB; Jake Reinartz, 1-for-3, RBI, R; Jason Stoulil, 0-for-1