By John RittenhouseThe Luverne Redbirds bowed out of the Region 13C Amateur Baseball Playoffs in Granite Falls Wednesday, Aug. 6.Playing the second game of a best-of-three series against the defending state champions from Granite Falls, Luverne needed a victory Aug. 6 to tie the series and force a third game.The Redbirds, however, couldn’t get the job done.Granite Falls scored two runs in the middle innings and made them stand up while nailing down a 2-1 victory.The win assured Granite Falls a berth in the state tournament. Luverne’s 17-12 season ended with the loss.The bat of Granite Falls’ Jeff Asche proved to be the difference in the game.Asche connected for a solo homer against Luverne starting pitcher Derek Ohme to open the scoring with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning.Asche came up big again in the sixth when he delivered a two-out double that scored Ryan Hebrick, who singled earlier in the inning, to make it a 2-0 game.Luverne, which was limited to seven hits in the game, produced its lone run in the top of the eighth.James Fisher drew a lead-off walk and advanced to second when Ohme slapped his second single of the game. Two outs later, Mike Wenninger delivered a single to plate Fisher.The Redbirds were unable to take advantage of some scoring opportunities early in the game.Ohme singled and was stranded on second base in the first inning. Eric Edstrom was walked and stranded on third base in the second inning.Ohme worked the first five and two-thirds innings on the mound and took the loss. He allowed seven hits and two earned runs. Wenninger pitched two and one-third innings of scoreless, hitless relief. He fanned three batters.Box score AB R H BIOhme 4 0 2 0Winkels 4 0 2 0J.Sehr 4 0 1 0Wenninger 4 0 1 1M.Sehr 4 0 0 0Edstrom 3 0 1 0Weber 4 0 0 0Iveland 0 0 0 0Sandbulte 3 0 1 0Fisher 2 1 0 0
