Staff photo by Travis Rosenau Springfield Tigers’ Decker Scheffler watches his first-inning home run to right field during a Region 2C amateur baseball playoff game with Hanska on Monday night at Memorial Park in Fairfax.

FAIRFAX — Whenever it’s a win-or-go-home situation, it’s easy for a pitcher to be on edge.

That didn’t appear to be the case for right-hander Brandon Wilhelmi on Monday night as he helped lead the Springfield Tigers to a 5-0 shutout of the Hanska Lakers in a Region 2C amateur baseball elimination playoff game at Memorial Field.

Hanska’s season ended with the loss, while the Tigers move on to another elimination game at 7:30 p.m. Friday night against Stark in Sleepy Eye. Stark topped Courtland 6-3 on Monday.

The winner of that game Friday will play at 1 p.m. Saturday in Fairfax for a state tournament berth against the loser of Tuesday night’s New Ulm-Lamberton game.

Wilhelmi earned the complete-game shutout win, giving up just four hits and two walks while striking out nine.

“He was on, he was dialed in when he got here,” Springfield manager Steve Helget said of Wilhelmi. “We didn’t use him hardly all year because he’s been coaching and all that and really busy. We’ve used him lately and, boy, he’s been really good and he’s got plenty left in the arm.”

Brady Mosenden took the loss for Hanska, pitching six innings and giving up five runs on seven hits and no walks. He struck out five. Sam Knowles pitched three scoreless, hitless innings of relief, walking one and recording a strikeout.

Wilhelmi helped make things easy for the Tiger bats, who gave him an early 2-0 lead after a two-run homer to right by Decker Scheffler in the first inning.

Scheffler was 2 for 3 with three RBIs to lead the Tigers at the plate, while Carter Erickson was 2 for 3 with an RBI.

The Tigers got their other three runs in the fifth inning by utilizing the bunt and benefiting on a Hanska error. Tori Helget, who led off the inning with a single, scored first to give Springfield a 3-0 lead after Erickson dropped a perfect bunt down the third base line.

Erickson was attempting to squeeze Helget home but ended up reaching first and moving pinch runner Kadin Johnson to third in the process. Johnson ran for Wilhelmi, who singled with one out.

Johnson ended up scoring after a Mason Rummel bunt was picked up by Mosenden and thrown past first base for an error. Scheffler capped off the scoring with a bloop single to left to score Erickson from third.

“We’ve got guys like Scheffler, and Sam [Baier] hit one [homer] for us the other night,” Steve Helget said. “Those two guys, they’ve been through some pretty big stuff. We’ve got some college kids and more kids coming up. Scheffler’s bomb was a bomb here, there was no doubt and that got us going early. Brandon caught fire then and then we executed the squeeze two, three times, and we’ve got to keep doing that. We’re not a manpower lineup in the bottom of the lineup, but as long as we do the little things and play good defense, we’ll be just fine.”

Hanska’s best chance to score came in the sixth inning after Kevin Larson led off with a single. Larson was quickly out at second after Sam Knowles reached on a fielder’s choice. After Chris Knowles grounded out for the second out of the inning, Eric Portner drew a walk and Mosenden reached on an infield single to load the bases.

Wilhelmi settled in, though, and struck out Derek Wilfahrt looking to get out of the jam.