The Austin Greyhounds needed a win in the worst way and they used a strong pitching performance from one of their veterans and a home run from one of their younger players to edge out the Austin Blue Sox 3-0 in Marcusen Park Friday.

Joe Huffman struck out 13 and allowed just four hits in nine innings on the mound for the Hounds (11-13 overall, 1-4 Section), but he faced some early trouble before retiring 16 of the last 18 hitters he faced.

The Blue Sox (10-12 overall, 2-3 Section) had the bases loaded with nobody in the out in the top of the fourth when Huffman struck out a pair of hitters and forced a ground-out to escape with a 1-0 lead intact. Huffman had trailed Jaime Adams 3-0 in the count before getting the first strikeout of the frame.

“When I proved to myself I can throw strikes when I had to [it got better],” Huffman said. “Getting down 3-0 with the bases loaded wasn’t a good situation. I was a little too pumped up, but the rest of the game went smoother.”

Right after Huffman came up in the clutch, Jordan Hart stepped up at the plate as a drilled a two-out, two-run homer over the right field fence to make it 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth. Hart was coming off a Legion District tournament where he had three home runs in two days.

“We ended the Legion season on a good note and now I’ve got to carry that confidence over to the Hounds,” Hart said. “There’s faster pitching and you have to stay in the game. Nine innings is a long game.”

It was the first amateur home run for Hart and it came off a pitcher that he has seen plenty of times in his high school baseball career — Southland grad Lukas Anderson.

“I like Luke a lot, he’s a great pitcher and he’s a great athlete,” Hart said. “It’s great to finally hit an amateur home run.”

Huffman says he sees plenty of potential in Hart, who will be a senior for Lyle-Pacelli this fall.

“His potential is way up there. He’s got a lot of potential and he hit the cover off the ball during Legion season,” Huffman said. “He’s starting to really get the amateur game.”

The Blue Sox also left the bases loaded in the first inning. Manager Josh Kunze said that those early shortcomings caught up to the team in the end.

“Joe is so good that if you miss opportunities earlier in the game, he’ll get stronger as the game goes on and our chances were limited towards the end,” Kunze said. “He had really good stuff tonight and he had a really good two seamer that was bitting pretty good. Hats off to Joe tonight.”

The Hounds took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third when Joe Kroc lined an RBI-double.

Blue Sox 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0 4 0

Hounds 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 X — 3 8 0

Hounds pitching: Joe Huffman (W) 9 IP, 4 H, 4 BB, 0 R, 13 K

Hounds hitting: Henry Fleek, 2-for-4, double, R; Joe Kroc, 2-for-4, double, RBI; Andy Swank, 0-for-1, 2 BBs; Tyler Leopold, 0-for-4; Nels Nelson, 0-for-4; Jeremy Williams, 1-for-3, R, SB; Gabe Kasak, 0-for-3; Jordan Hart, 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBIs, R; John Frein, 1-for-3; Zach Schara, 0-for-1

Blue Sox pitching: Lukas Anderson (L) 5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 6 K; Brian Voigt, 3 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K

Blue Sox hitting: Anderson, 0-for-3; Chris May, 0-for-3, BB; Voigt, 0-for-3, HBP; Mark Harber, 1-for-3, BB; Josh Kunze, 0-for-3, BB; Clay Eustice, 0-for-3, BB; Cody Meyer, 1-for-4; Brandon Rector, 0-for-4; Jaimie Adams, 1-for-4, SB; Jon Mittag, 1-for-2