Packer softball team can’t hold on against JM
Published 7:42 pm Thursday, April 30, 2015
Austin’s Jaidyn Bastian dives into third as she moves up from second against Rochester John Marshall Thursday at Todd Park. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
The Austin softball team was eight runs closer to Rochester John Marshall than when the two teams first met April 14, but it still wasn’t enough for the Packers to score a win.
The Rockets took a late lead in the top of the seventh and hung on to edge the Packers 3-1 in Todd Park Thursday.
Kelsey Sederquest relays the throw after getting the first out on an attempted double-play against Rochester John Marshall Thursday at Todd Park. Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com
JM (5-8 overall) had beaten Austin 15-5 in the team’s first meeting but Thursday’s contest went down to the wire. JM tied the game at 1-1 when Abby Gee blasted a solo homer in the top of the sixth and the Rockets took the lead for good when Gee delivered a two-out, two-run single in the top of the seventh.
“We are getting better,” Austin head coach Al Eckmann said. “We had a couple of mental things that might’ve cost us the game. They did some of the things we’ve worked on so that’s OK.”
The Packers (5-10, 2-7 Big Nine) stranded six runners on base in the last three innings. Austin had runners on second and third with one out in the fifth, it had the bases loaded with one out in the sixth and the lead-off hitter reached base in the bottom of the seventh.
Still, the Packers offense fell silent after Shayley Vesel put them on the board with a two-out RBI single in the third inning.
“That was disappointing there, but they’re young,” Eckmann said.
Jaidyn Bastian struck out four and allowed nine hits and one walk in the loss and she went 2-for-4 at the plate.
The Packers have just five games remaining in the regular season and three of those games are next week.
“Everybody’s got to step it up,” Eckmann said. “We’re getting there. We’ve just got to keep getting better and get this program where it needs to be. It would’ve been nice to get a win [today], but that’s what happens sometimes.”
JM 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 — 3 9 1
Austin 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 — 1 6 1
Austin pitching: Jaidyn Bastian (L) 7 IP, 9 H, 1 BB, 3 ER, 4 K
Austin hitting: Bastian, 2-for-4, R, SB; Justine Reimers, 0-for-4; Shayley Vesel, 2-for-4, RBI; Sydney Murphy, 1-for-4; Jordan Huntley, 1-for-2, BB; Kendall Hackensmith, 1-for-2; Kelsey Sederquest, 0-for-1, BB; Bandi Myers, 0-for-2; Keisha Berg, 0-for-1; Brooke Pazurek, 0-for-1