The top seeded Austin Greyhounds survived a three-game showdown in a Section 2B playoff series with No. 4 Marshall at Marcusen Park over the weekend to advance to the supersection playoffs, where they will take on the Burnsville Bobcats in Dundas Friday at 6 p.m.

The Hounds (25-10 overall) beat Marshall 8-3 in an elimination game after dropping a 4-3 contest Sunday and they beat Marshall 5-4 Saturday night.

Byran Toov picked up a nine-inning win in the closeout game for the Hounds as he didn’t have any strikeouts, but scattered seven hits.

“He just pitches to make guys get outs and he shut them down,” Austin player/manger John Frein said.

The Hounds took a 5-0 lead in the third inning after Craig Braaten came up with a sacrifice fly and they added three more runs with two outs to go up 8-2 in the eighth inning. Joe Kroc doubled in a run, Frein tripled in a run and Andy Swank knocked in a run with a single to put the game away.

“We definitely needed those runs,” Frein said. “It was good to come out on top after 27 innings of baseball in hot weather.”

The Hounds lost the second game of the series when Alex Kasak was thrown out at home on a double by Matt Raso to end the game. Austin had led 3-1, but the A’s put up three runs in the eighth.

On Saturday, Raso doubled and Frein lined a single up the middle to score him and break up a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the eighth.

“It was a pretty big moment for us,” Frein said.

The Hounds are one of 16 teams remaining in the state and they need to get two wins in the double elimination supersection round to get to the Class ‘B’ state tournament. The Duluth Express and Prior Lake Jays are the other two teams in Austin’s supersection.

“We have high expectations and we want to get to the state tournament,” Frein said. “It’s going to be fun.”

Marshall 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 — 3 7 1

Hounds 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 X — 8 10 2

Hounds pitching: Bryan Toov (W), 9 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 HBP

Hounds hitting: Andy Swank, 2-for-5, RBI, R; Nick Rohne, 0-for-2, R, 2 BBs; Matt Cano, 1-for-3, RBI, 2 R, BB; Dan Swift, 1-for-4, RBI, R; Craig Braaten, 0-for-3, RBI; Tyler Leopold, 1-for-3, 2 RBIs; Matt Raso, 1-for-4, R; Joe Kroc, 2-for-4, double, RBI, R, SB; John Frein, 2-for-4, triple, RBI, R

Marshall 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 — 4 11 2

Hounds 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 — 3 6 1

Hounds pitching: Nels Nelson, 7 1/3 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 3 ER, 5 K, 2 HBP; Zach Schara (L)

Hounds hitting: Swank, 0-for-2, SB, 2 BBs; Rohne, 1-for-4, R, SB; Swift, 1-for-3, RBI, R, BB; Braaten, 1-for-4, double, R; Nate Johnson, 1-for-4; Raso, 2-for-4, double, RBI; Cano, RBI

Marshall 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 — 4 4 0

Hounds 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 1X — 5 8 3

Hounds pitching: Joe Huffman (W), 9 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 7 K, 2 HBP

Hounds hitting: Swank, 0-for-5, R; Cano, 2-for-3, double, 2 R, BB; Swift, 1-for-3, double, R, HBP; Braaten, 1-for-4; Leopold, 1-for-4, double, RBI; Raso, 2-for-4, double, RBI, R; Frein, 1-for-3, RBI, BB, SB