After seeing their best hitter walked, Post 91 got a game winning hit from its hottest hitter in a 6-5 win over Albert Lea at Marcusen Park in a Legion baseball game Tuesday.

Adam Hemann lined a single into center field to score the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Hemann, who had two doubles in his previous two at bats, got the chance after Albert Lea intentionally walked Post 91’s slugger Duell Higbe.

“I thought they might try pitching around me,” Hemann said. “I wanted to make them pay for (walking Higbe) so I just tried to hit it out there over their heads. From my first at bat I knew I could hit off of (Albert Lea pitcher Cody Hansen).”

Hemann’s hit scored Steven Rizzi, who reached on a fielding error by Albert Lea to start the seventh. Rizzi advanced to second on a wild pitch, leaving first base open with Higbe at the plate.

“I told Duell you’re probably not gonna get to swing the bat because (you’re) to good of a player,” acting Post 91 manager Steve Rizzi said. “It was a good move on their part to play the odds. But then I turned to Adam Hemann and said this is what you play for. When they walk a guy in front of you, you want to get them back and he did that.”

Austin tied the game up at 5 with two runs in the sixth. Hemann, who led off the frame with a double, scored on a wild pitch and Sam Stier scored after getting caught in a run down on a botched squeeze play. Stier ran back and forth from home to third a few times before Albert Lea threw the ball away.

Stier said he got caught because he didn’t anticipate the type of pitch that was thrown to Nick Grage on the squeeze.

“Nick did a good job of seeing the ball in the dirt and he pulled back (his bunt) which is what you’re supposed to do,” Stier said. “But the catcher made a good play in blocking it and I just froze and he made a throw instead of running at me. If he would’ve ran me back to third they never would’ve thrown it away. I got a little lucky and that’s probably the most running I’ve done since wrestling.”

Jordan Hall was thrown out on the play as Albert Lea’s left fielder, Anthony Tippet, recovered the wild throw and threw him out at home.

“I sent Hall thinking we could sneak one in and their left fielder made a great hustle play,” Rizzi said. “I took a gamble and lost.”

Post 91 (6-7 overall, 5-4 District 1) trailed 5-3 in the sixth after Corey Hanson and Jared Matson each had run scoring singles for Albert Lea off of Higbe. Austin escaped the rally when Stier turned a double play off the bat of Cody Hansen.

“Give Albert Lea credit. They were spunky and they put the bat on the ball against a very good pitcher,” Rizzi said. “They played like winners tonight.”

Post 91 jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third as Higbe and Hemann had back-to-back doubles with two outs. In the first, John Kirby and Stier had run-scoring singles.

AL scored three in the fourth on an RBI-double by Casey Woodside, an RBI-single by Joel Eisenbraun, and the third run came off a fielding error by Austin.

Austin 6, Albert Lea 5

Austin pitching: John Kirby, 3 IP, 4 H, 3 BB, 3 R, 2 ER, 4 K; Dylan Monson, 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K; Duell Higbe (W), 2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 K

Austin hitting: Andrew Orcutt, 1-of-4, R; Steven Rizzi, 1-of-3, BB, 2 R; John Kirby, 1-of-4, RBI; Duell Higbe, 1-of-3, double, BB, Adam Hemann, 3-of-4, 2 doubles, 2 RBIs, R; Sam Stier, 2-of-3, RBI, R; Dylan Monson, 0-of-2; Jake Winters, 0-of-3; Nick Grage, 0-of-2, BB, SB; Jordan Hall, HBP

Albert Lea pitching: Cody Hansen (L) 7 IP, 9 H, 3 BB, 6 R, 5 ER, 5 K, 1HBP

Albert Lea hitting: Anthony Tippett, 3-of-4, double, RBI; Cody Hansen, 0-of-4; Logan Kortan, 0-of-4; Jared Matson, 0-of-2, 2 BBs; Casey Woodside, 2-of-4, double, RBI; Matt Jensen, 1-of-3; Joel Eisenbraun, 2-of-2, RBI, BB; Jordan Hanson, 0-of-2; Jared Gavle, 0-of-3; Corey Hanson, 1-of-1, RBI