AUSTIN &045; You can’t score any runs if you don’t hit the ball, and you certainly can’t win that way either.

Austin Greyhounds pitcher Dave Meyer threw a near-perfect ballgame against

the Albert Lea Colonels Thursday night, striking out 19 while allowing just one hit in the 5-0 complete-game victory at Marcusen Park.

Ryan Wangen’s second-inning fly ball to center field was misplayed by

Greyhounds’ player/coach Joe Serratore, and the resultant double would be the Colonels’ only hit. Wangen lined out to Serratore in the fifth inning

with the hardest hit ball off the Albert Lea bats all night.

Meyer struck out six straight at one point and Wangen would be the only

player to reach base. The Austin defense did not commit an error and Meyer

did not walk a batter.

&uot;Meyer was just dominating tonight,&uot; said Colonels coach Bill Trygstad. &uot;He

had everything working tonight. It was just a well-pitched game by both sides.

&uot;We just didn’t hit the ball.&uot;

Isaac Walton did not allow a hit until Austin’s Chris Pack reached with a

bunt single with two outs in the fifth. Walton’s shutout did not last much longer either, as an error led to two Austin runs in the sixth.

Adam Berge booted a grounder off the bat of leadoff hitter Nick Rohne, and

Colonels left-fielder Brad Carlson did not see Ryan Hanson’s fly ball to the

warning track until it was too late. Rohne scored and Hanson came plateward on Tate Cummins’ groundout, and Meyer had all the offense he would need. Meyer struck out the next six batters he faced, and eight of the final nine, for the complete-game shutout.

&uot;He had it working,&uot; Trygstad said. &uot;Austin played good defense when we hit the ball. I was proud of the way our guys hit.&uot;

The state’s fourth-rated Greyhounds (29-15) added three runs in the eighth to chase Walton from the mound. Derek Anderson struck out the only hitter he would face to end the inning.

Albert Lea (5-15, 3-8) has three Southern Minny League games remaining in the regular season.

The Colonels go to Owatonna Saturday before hosting

Faribault on Monday and the Rochester Royals on Wednesday.