Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s Brady Billerbeck connects for one of his two doubles during the Rebels’ 5-2 win over Northeast Hamilton in Class 1A District 11 baseball on Tuesday in Grundy Center. Photo by Troy Banning

GRUNDY CENTER – Gladbrook-Reinbeck scored twice in the first two innings and got out to a lead that Northeast Hamilton couldn’t erase, and the Rebels racked up a 5-2 victory in their Class 1A District 11 quarterfinal baseball game on Tuesday night.

Austyn Smith struck out seven over six innings to get the win for Gladbrook-Reinbeck (16-11), while Brady Billerbeck struck out two in a perfect seventh for the save.

Billerbeck also led the Rebel bats with a pair of doubles, driving in a run during Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s two-run first inning against Trojans ace Marcus Mechaelsen. G-R led 5-0 before Northeast Hamilton (9-19) struck for its two runs in the top of the sixth. An inning-ending double play got Smith and the Rebels out of trouble.

Parker Bolt tripled and scored on one of Joe Zimmerman’s two run-scoring groundouts. Zimmerman also reached on an error and scored G-R’s first run.

The Rebels advance to face Grundy Center in Thursday’s district semifinal game back in Grundy Center.