Austin VFW baseball team wins twice over the weekend
The Austin VFW Post #1216 baseball team had a busy weekend with games at Sleepy Eye on Saturday and home against Byron on Sunday, and in the Saturday matchup with Sleepy Eye, the two teams combined to score eight runs in the 7th inning, but it was Austin holding on for a 7-6 win.
Austin led 3-2 after three innings and padded their lead with four runs in the top of the 7th to take a 7-2 lead, only to see Sleepy Eye rally back with four runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning to cut the Austin lead to 7-6. Peyton Ransom, who came in to pitch in the 7th and Austin’s defense were able to hold Sleepy Eye off the scoreboard the rest of the way, though, to earn the win.
Offensively for Austin, both Landon Meyer and Sam Oelfke singled twice in four trips to the plate to help lead the way with a RBI and a run scored, Peyton Ransom went 1 for 5 for Post #1216 with a run scored, Isaac Osgood was 1 for 4 with a run knocked in an another scored, Isaac Nelson also went 1 for 4 with a team-high two RBI’s, Sam Howard went 1 for 3 and Dane Schara, Ethan Anderson and Sam Winkels all scored runs in the win.
Sam Oelfke got the start on the mound for Austin and earned the win as he gave up four Sleepy Eye runs, three earned on five hits, striking out seven and walking three. Peyton Ransom came on in the 7th and gave up two runs, both unearned on two hits, striking out two and walking none.
Austin then played host to Byron at Marcusen Park on Sunday afternoon, and in a 12-inning marathon, Isaac Osgood’s third hit of the day, a single in the bottom of the 12th pushed across the winning run in an 8-7 victory.
Post #1216 got out to a quick start by scoring three in the first and two in the second for a 4-0 lead, but Byron came storming back with a four-run top of the 4th to tie the game at four apiece. Austin countered with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning for a 6-4 lead, but Bryon again had an answer with two in the top of the 7th to send the game into extra innings tied at 6. Each team pushed across a run in the 8th for a 7-7 tie before Osgood’s walk-off single ended the marathon contest in favor of Post #1216.
Offensively for Austin, Osgood wound up going 3 for 7 in the game with the three singles and two RBI’s, plus he scored two runs, Dakota Retterath belted a solo homer in going 1 for 4, Isaac Nelson went 2 for 5 with a RBI and a run scored, Peyton Ransom went 1 for 5 with a run knocked in and two more scored, Dane Schara was 1 for 4 for Austin with a RBI and Ethan Anderson went 1 for 4.
Austin used four pitchers in the game, with Isaiah Conway getting the start and pitching into the seventh inning giving up six runs, four earned on eight hits, striking out five and walking five. Peyton Ransom came on in the 8th inning and gave up one run, which was earned on three hits, striking out one and walking one, and Blake Cummings then came in and held Byron at bay through the 9th, 10th and 11th innings, giving up no runs on two hits, striking out four and walking none. Not only did Isaac Osgood knock in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 12th, he also earned the win on the mound as he gave up no runs on one hit and walked one.
Post #1216 is now 2-1 on the young season.
