ROCHESTER — All Austin pitcher Adam Hemann had to do was get out of the biggest jam he had faced all night and his team would be moving on in the playoffs. If not, their season would be over.

The Rochester Eagles put runners on second and third with no outs as Post 91 was clinging to a 5-3 lead in a First District American Legion elimination game, but Hemann didn’t fold as he got the next three hitters out with a pop out, a ground out, and a fly out to leave Austin on top 5-4 at Hudson Field Sunday night.

Hemann got the final two outs with the tying run on third.

“I hadn’t thrown a ball in the dirt all game, so I didn’t have to worry about a wild pitch,” Hemann, who struck out seven and walked none, said. “Usually I’m nervous and wild at the end of games, but tonight I just settled down and threw strikes. I was calm.”

It wasn’t the only jam Hemann got out of for Austin (7-18 overall). The Eagles also left runners on third in the first and fifth innings.

“Adam’s last two outings have been outstanding,” said Post 91 head coach Bob Stratton. “He’s kept the ball around the plate and hasn’t had a ton of walks. I was one step away from taking him out the last two innings, but I figured you know what, he’s pitched his heart off, give him a shot. He came through.”

Post 91 took the lead for good in the sixth without getting a hit. Mike Tindal struck out to start the inning, but he went to first on a wild pitch.

“I haven’t done that since club league,” Tindal said of how he got on.

Tindal advanced to second on a passed ball and scored when the Eagles couldn’t handle a bunt by Jacob Hines.

Austin added a much needed insurance run in the seventh when Hemann singled to lead off the inning, moved to second on a wild pitch, went to third o a groundout by Harber and scored on another wild pitch by Rochester’s Ricky Devorak.

“We didn’t tear the cover off the ball, but a win is a win,” Stratton said.

After the Eagles got extra base hits in three of their first four at-bats off of Hemann to take a 2-0 lead in the first, Austin tied the game at three in the fifth when Hemann scored on an Eagles’ error and John Kirby knocked in a run with a two out single.

But it was Tindal’s bat that got Austin going. After the first six Austin hitters went hitless to start the game, Tindal ripped a two-out, run scoring double into deep left center field to get Post 91 going.

“I never really look for a pitch to hit. I just stick the bat out there and try to get a hit,” Tindal said. “It felt like that hit gave us a charge to get going.”

Hemann was a big factor on offense for Austin as he had three straight singles off Devorak after striking out on three pitches (and only swinging once) in his first plate appearance.

Austin had just seven hits as a team.

“The first at bat was ridiculous, usually I’ll swing at the first pitch if it’s good,” Hemann said. “After that I went up looking for a nice pitch to hit. Too many of our guys were waiting for too good of a pitch. We’ve got to come out swinging.”

Post 91 dodged a big bullet in the sixth when Rochester had runners on first and second with one out and Eric Benick hit a line drive right at John Kirby. Kirby pulled in the catch and threw to second to convert an inning ending double play.

Austin center fielder Andrew Orcutt made three running catches in the last two innings to preserve the win.

Austin will now play either the Rochester Redhawks or the Rochester A’s Tuesday night at Century high school. The First District Tournament now switches to a double-elimination format.

“We’ve got at least two more games,” Hemann said. “I just want to keep playing.”

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

Austin 0 1 0 0 2 1 1 0 0 5 7 0

Eagles 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 10 4

Austin pitching: Adam Hemann (W), 9 IP, 10 H, 4 ER, 7 K

Austin hitting: Andrew Orcutt, 0-for-5; Steven Rizzi, 1-for-5; Hemann, 3-for-5, 2 R, SB; Mark Harber, 0-for-5; John Kirby, 1-for-4, RBI, R, SB; Joel Swatfager, 0-for-4; Mike Tindal, 2-for-4, RBI, R; Jacob Hines, 0-for-2, 2 BBs; Dylan Monson, 0-for-3

Eagles pitching: Ricky Devorak (L), 7 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 R, 1 ER, 7 K

Eagles hitting: Eric Benick, 1-for-4, double; Henry Rownd, 0-for-4; Chris Griffin, 3-for-4, double, RBI; Todd Bestgen, 3-for-4, HR, triple, 2 RBIs; Devorak, 2-for-4, double; Tom Schroeder, 0-for-4; David Keeney, 0-for-3; Nick Heimer, 1-for-4, double; Greive, 0-for-2; Knell, 0-for-1, RBI