Staff photo by Ari Selvey Hanska's Aaron Portner delivers a pitch during a Class C Amateur Baseball State Tournament game against Pierz Saturday at Brownton.

BROWNTON — The Hanska Lakers advanced to the Class C Amateur Baseball State Tournament quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over the Pierz Brewers on Saturday.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Hanska’s Aaron Portner said. “Good team chemistry and just getting everybody going, it’s nice that way.”

Portner pitched 7 1/3 shutout innings to earn the win, scattering four hits with six strikeouts and one walk.

“I had a really good changeup and used it a lot,” Portner said. “They were very pull-happy hitters, so it kind of helped that way. They were out in front of the ball. Then just great defense behind me all the time. Whenever it gets hit, you can always trust that somebody is going to make a play.”

Marshall draftee Mitchel Bouwman got the save, striking out two and allowing no hits or walks in 1 2/3 innings. At the plate, Sam Knowles was 2 for 4, with an RBI and a run scored, while Chris Knowles was 2 for 4. Kevin Larson had a hit and an RBI, and Jake Finstad had a hit and a run scored.

Hanska had a very strong defensive outing as it extended its winning streak to 12, keeping Pierz off the basepaths in four of the nine innings played. Hanska had some trouble getting base runners of its own to start the game as well, until a hit batsman and two singles in the fifth inning. That second single came from Larson, and Sam Knowles was able to score the opening run of the game for a 1-0 lead.

Portner and the Lakers defense orchestrated nine consecutive outs after the score, not allowing a base runner until the bottom of the eighth inning as Derek Dahmen singled and was bunted to second. Portner was pulled at 94 pitches, allowing Bouwman to take over and get the next two outs, one by flyout and one by strikeout.

Hanska added another run in the top of the ninth as a double by Finstad and a single by Sawyer Olson set up Sam Knowles for a single to score Finstad. Tanner Olson made a diving catch in the bottom of the ninth to help seal the game for the Lakers.

Hanska now takes on the Farming Flames on Saturday, Aug. 30 in Brownton at 11 a.m.

“We had a couple errors out there, but they didn’t hurt us,” Portner said. “Just make plays on the ball, keep hitting, play the game that you love.”