Austin softball team falls to Winona
Published 8:16 pm Thursday, April 16, 2015
Austin’s Sydney Murphey holds the ball up as she stretches to keep her foot on homeplate, getting the force out on Winona’s Caitlyn Koscianski Thursday afternoon at Todd Park. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Austin softball team lost the error battle and that proved costly as it lost 9-6 to Winona in Todd Park Thursday.
The Packers (1-4 overall, 1-3 Big Nine) committed five errors and allowed five unearned runs and the Winhawks committed zero errors in the game.
Austin’s Brooke Pazurek looks home with the throw against Winona Thursday afternoon at Todd Park. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
“We’ve been talking about [not committing errors] every day. We’re just so young and we just have to get better,” Austin head coach Al Eckmann said. “Winona is one of the teams that was picked to win the conference, and I thought we played pretty well against them.”
The Packers were on the verge of being 10-runned in the fifth as they trailed 9-1, but Jaidyn Bastian retired six out of the next seven hitters, and Austin made its move in the sixth. Jordan Huntley knocked in a run and Justine Reimers knocked in two more runs with a one-out single to make it 9-6, but Shaley Vesel grounded out with runners on second and third to end the rally.
Austin had a runner on second with one out in the seventh, but it couldn’t plate a run.
While Austin struggled in fielding early on, sophomore Abby Gogolewski came on in relief in center field and made a catch near the outfield fence.
Gogolewski was playing in her first game this spring as she is coming back from a hip injury.
“We weren’t sure when she was going to come back,” Eckmann said of Gogolewski. “She’s been coming into practice getting things done and she finally got the OK to play today.”
Austin’s Jaidyn Bastian delivers in the second inning against Winona Thursday afternoon at Todd Park. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
Winona 0 0 4 4 1 0 0 — 9 11 0
Austin 0 0 1 0 0 5 0 — 6 9 5
Austin pitching: Jaidyn Bastian (L) 7 IP, 11 H, 1 BB, 9 R, 4 ER, 1 K
Austin hitting: Justine Reimers, 1-for-3, 2 RBIs, SB, BB; Bastian, 1-for-3; Sydney Murphy, 2-for-4, double, RBI; Shayley Vesel, 1-for-3, R, BB; Brooke Pazurek, 0-for-4; Kelsey Sederquest, 2-for-3, double, BB; Jordan Huntley, 1-for-3, RBI, BB; Mattie Hackensmith, 1-for-3, R; Ally Wood, 0-for-2; Abby Gogolewski, BB, R