LUVERNE — Winnebago/Blue Earth was able to continue capitalizing on mistakes.

WBE Posts 82 & 89 beat Adrian Post 32, 10-6, in the opening round of the American Legion baseball Division II, Southwest Sub-State tournament on Thursday at Cardinal Field in Luverne.

With the win, WBE (11-1) goes on to face Luverne Post 123 at 7:30 p.m. tonight back at Cardinal Field. The sub-state host Post defeated Minnesota Lake Post 287, 15-1, to advance in the winners’ bracket.

WBE took its lead in the first inning and never gave it up. After Adrian scored a run in the top of the first, Joseph Schavey ignited the WBE offense with a walk and Karson Legred hit a grounder that Adrian’s third baseman couldn’t handle, putting Schavey on third and Legred on second.

Keegan O’Brien came in to courtesy run for the catching Legred, then Anders Fering hit a hard ground ball just past the extended backhanded attempt down the third-base line for two RBIs and the early lead.

WBE head coach Paul Nienaber said though WBE didn’t play its best game, it’s a sign of a good team to fight through a tough position.

“I think we battled,” Nienaber said. “I think we played a really good team and I don’t think we played our ‘A’ game. We had some mistakes, we had some struggles, but when you can struggle and make mistakes and still win ballgames, it says good things about you. I’ll take it, they’re not all pretty, but I’ll take it.”

WBE would score two more in the second to extend the advantage.

Hunter Bleess reached base on catcher’s interference, the first of three in the game. Bleess then moved to second on a wild pitch before Koby Nagel advanced Bleess with a groundout.

Luke Mertens hit a line drive to right-center field for an RBI. Mertens was erased on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Gavin Storbeck, but Storbeck’s courtesy runner, Adam Schavey, scored from second base when brother Joseph Schavey reached base on a dropped third strike and Adam Schavey took home on the throw to first.

WBE’s bats went quiet for three innings before exploding for a six-run sixth inning.

Brayden Barnett led off reaching on an error and advanced from first to third on a wild pitch before Bleess walked and took second, never stopping at first base. Nagel hit a hard single to right field to score Barnett and Bleess, then stole second before Mertens hit another single to right for an RBI.

Caelan Sanders reached on an error and both Sander’s courtesy runner, Adam Schavey, and Mertens scored on a Legred double down the left-field line to make the WBE lead 10-3.

Storbeck started on the mound for WBE, pitching three innings and allowing two runs on four hits and three walks, while striking out five.

Storbeck worked through jams in the first and third innings. In the opening frame, the first two batters got on base and advanced to second and third, a groundout scored the first run of Storbeck’s outing, but two strikeouts ended the frame before any more damage was done. In the third, the first two batters reached base again, this time the first scored on a single, before Storbeck struck out consecutive hitters to end the frame.

Sanders came on to pitch the final four innings to earn the pitching victory, allowing four runs on one hit and three walks, while striking out three.

Nienaber said both Storbeck and Sanders battled through their outings.

“Caelan has a ridiculous knack of being able to take a little off one pitch and add it to another,” Nienaber said. “He hits his spots and every pitch is just different enough from the one before that it screws with guys’ timing. Gavin came out and battled and gave us everything he had. He would probably be the first to tell you he wasn’t quite 100 percent, but he battled. That’s a ballplayer.”

ADN 101 100 3 — 6 5 3

WBE 220 006 x — 10 6 3

Gavin Storbeck, Caelan Sanders (4, WP) and Karson Legred. Ian Stamer (LP), Lance Luettel (6) and Brady Vortherms.

LOB–Adrian 9, Winnebago/Blue Earth 5. 2B–Anders Fering (WBE), Karson Legred (WBE).