What a difference a month makes.

When the Austin Greyhounds played the Marshall A’s for the first time this season, they lost 8-1 June 5. On Friday night it was a much different game when the two teams squared off again.

The Hounds hammered out 11 hits and held a younger Marshall team to three hits in a 9-0 win at Marcusen Park.

“These guys are all college kids for the most part and we’re not,” Hounds player/manager Matt Cano said. “We don’t start until late May and it does take us a little while to get going. We played well (tonight) and this was an important game. When we play good ball, we’re going to be a tough team to play against.”

Cano helped put the game in the Hounds’ hands early when he blasted a three-run double to deep center field to put Austin (14-6 overall, 3-1 Section 2B) up 6-0 in the fourth inning. Nick Rohne had drawn a bases loaded walk to score a run right before Cano stepped up to the plate.

“I knew after walking a guy in that he wanted to get ahead,” Cano, who had two doubles and four RBIs in the win, said. “He had thrown a lot of off-speed stuff in my first at-bat. I was looking for a strike and it was pretty much straight down the middle. I was able to hit it pretty solid.”

While Cano provided the power at the plate, Joe Huffman brought the heat on the mound. Huffman struck out eight in seven innings of work, but his ability to sidestep trouble in the early innings gave Austin a big advantage.

Marshall had the bases loaded with one out in the second when Huffman struck out back-to-back hitters and Huffman got a fly-out and a strikeout to escape the third inning, when Marshall had runners on second and third.

“It always gives you confidence to get out of a jam, but once the hitters start putting some runs on the board, it really relaxes you out there,” Huffman said. “I was throwing the fastball a little harder than normal and that always helps.”

Huffman also got a little help from his outfield in the win. In the sixth inning it looked like the A’s (14-2 overall, 1-1 Section 2B) were finally going to get on the board when Taylor Rignell drove a fly ball to deep center with a runner on second and two outs.

Hounds center fielder Tyler Leopold made a running, reaching grab to save the run but Huffman didn’t see it at first.

“I didn’t know he caught it. I thought it got over his head and they had scored a run,” Huffman said. “I wasn’t too happy with myself after that pitch, but everybody started running in and I was like ‘Oh, he caught it.’”

Austin’s early offense came from a little small ball in the second inning as Tyler Leopold drew a two-out walk, stole second and advanced to third on an error before he scored on an opposite field single by John Kirby to make it 1-0 in the second inning. Andy Swank bunted in another run to make it 2-0.

In the sixth inning Craig Braaten belted a two-run double to make it 9-0.

Austin has another Section 2B game on Sunday when they host the Mankato Twins at 2 p.m.

“This win was big and Sunday’s game is going to big,” Huffman said. “It’s a tough section and I don’t think there’s anyone you can count as a win.”

Marshall 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 3 3

Hounds 0 2 0 4 0 3 0 0 X — 9 11 4

Hounds pitching: Joe Huffman (W), 7 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 0 R, 8 K; John Halverson, 1 IP, 0 R; Steve Hovland, 1 IP, 0 R

Hounds hitting: Andy Swank, 2-for-4, RBI, 2 R, BB; Nick Rohne, 1-for-3, RBI, 2 R, BB; Mat Cano, 2-for-4, 2 doubles, 4 RBIs; Craig Braaten, 1-for-4, double, 2 RBIs; Matt Raso, 1-for-3; Tyler Leopold, 0-for-3, R, SB, BB; Dan Zielke, 0-for-4; John Kirby, 2-for-4, RBI, 2 R; John Frein, 2-for-4, 2 R, SB; Dan Wiechmann, 0-for-1; Nels Nelson, 0-for-1; Zach Schara, 0-for-1