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Behind the pitching effort of Joe Huffman and a 14-hit night, the Austin Greyhounds advanced in tournament play after defeating the Owatonna A’s in an opening-round 9-2 win Wednesday night at Marcusen Park.

Huffman went the distance in picking up the win, giving up just two runs on six hits and striking out 13, seemingly getting stronger as the game went along. In the top of the eighth inning, he struck out all three batters he faced.

Meanwhile, the bats came alive with a hit parade that included a four-run inning in the bottom of the third.

The game was scoreless through the first two innings until Owatonna posted two runs in the top of the third with Then Geidd and AJ Vanderiede scoring off a pair of doubles. However, the 2-0 lead didn’t make it out of the third inning.

The Hounds put together a string of singles to drive runs across, including a Zach Bollingberg single that drove in two runs.

The game settled into a pitching duel again between Huffman and the A’s Vanderiede through the next two innings leading up to the bottom of the sixth inning when the Hounds were able to bust the game open with another three runs coming off a pair of doubles and a wild pitch.

That inning drove Vanderiede from the game.

Austin added one run in the bottom of the seventh and one in the bottom of the eighth to put the game further out of reach.

Despite the win, the Hounds left several more possible runs on the basepaths by stranding 12 runners.

Tournament action now shifts to Red Wing where the Greyhounds will take on the winner of Cannon Falls and Dodge County at 4 p.m. on Saturday.