With just nine days remaining in its regular season, the Austin VFW Post 1216 baseball team is cranking up the intensity and closing in on the top seed for the District playoffs.

Austin took another big step against Faribault as Jack Dankert pitched over five innings of no-hit baseball in an 8-3 District win and Josi Bothun and Phillip Zynda both came through in the clutch in a 7-6 nightcap non-District win in Marcusen Park Wednesday.

“We’re hoping to hit our stride and we’re feeling pretty good,” Austin head coach Mark Conner said. “We found some momentum with Owatonna [last week] and we found some momentum tonight.”

Austin trailed the second game 6-4 in the seventh inning when Josi Bothun came through with a two-run double to center field to force extra innings. In the eighth inning, Phillip Zynda led off with a single, he stole stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error before scoring the walk-off run on a wild pitch.

“I knew I wasn’t going to hit a home run, but I just wanted do something to get on base, and then try to steal and make something happen,” Zynda said. “I think it was a good win, and even though it’s not a game that counts [in the District] we’re still going to go out there to win.”

Austin (14-7-1 overall, 7-1 District) took an early lead in the opener as Ross Young singled in a run in the second and Holden Londino-Green doubled in a run in the third.

Dankert got off to a slow start on the hill as he walked two batters in the first inning and he hit two batters and walked one in the second inning, but he had a no-hitter going with two outs in the fifth inning when Faribault was able to ground a single through the infield. Nate Murphy came on in relief to help Austin close out the game.

Dankert struck out eight, while walking seven and hitting two batters.

“My arm felt good and Joe [Ciola] fixed some things in the dugout with my wind up,” Dankert said. “I went deep with the no hitter, but we got the win and that’s all that matters. It’s in my mind every game and it’s what motivates me by saying I want to throw a no hitter, but winning is all that matters.”

The Austin VFW baseball team is currently sitting in first place in its District and the Austin Post 91 Legion baseball team is also near the top of its District standings. With both teams playing well this summer, there is a chance that both teams could make a run at state.

Zynda plays for Post 1216 and Post 91 and he thinks both teams are capable of going far.

“We have a huge [VFW] roster and we have good chemistry together. We’re a bunch of guys who just like to play baseball together and I think we’ve got a good chance of going far,” Zynda said. “For Legion we have a chance to go to state as long as we stay focused every game. That’s our biggest challenge.”

Faribault 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 — 3 3 2

Austin 0 1 1 3 0 3 X — 8 8 0

Austin pitching: Jack Dankert (W) 5 2/3 IP, 1 H, 7 BB, 1 ER, 8 K, 2 HBP; Nate Murphy, 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 3 K, 1 HBP

Austin hitting: Dankert, 1-for-3, double, RBI; Tyler Robertson, 0-for-3, RBI; Riley Wempner, 0-for-1, R, 2 BBs; AJ Mueller, 2-for-4, double, 2 RBIs, 3 R; Holden Londino-Green, 1-for-4, double, RBI; Riley Retterath, 1-for-3, SB, BB; Pete Conner, 0-for-1, R, HBP; Luke Hawkshead, 0-for-1, HBP, BB; Ross Young, 2-for-2, 2 RBIs, R; Phillip Zynda, R

Faribault 1 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 — 6 8 3

Austin 2 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 — 7 8 1

Austin pitching: Jake Lunt, 2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 K; Young, 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 K; Michael O’Connor, 1/3 IP, 5 BB, 5 ER, 1 K; Hawkshead, 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 0 R, 3 K; Retterath (W) 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 R, 2 K

Austin hitting: Kadin Kneeskern, 1-for-2, R, 2 BBs; O’Connor, 1-for-3, R; Lunt, 0-for-2, R, BB; Josi Bothun, 1-for-4, double, 2 RBIs; Tony Ciola, 1-for-3, BB; Jaxon Bell, 0-for-3; Andrew Schumacher, 1-for-4, SB; Zynda, 2-for-4, double, 2 R, SB; Murphy, 1-for-3, triple, RBI, BB; Dankert, R; Retterath, R; Mueller, SB, R