On a windy Monday afternoon at Todd Park, another dominating effort by Austin pitcher Amy Kelly ensured that a Stephanie Sundberg home run was all the offense the Packers needed for a 5-0 triumph over Big Nine Conference foe Rochester Mayo.

"We did a better job today of putting the ball in play than we had in our previous games," said AHS head coach Todd Waterbury. "We got a lot of line drives and made sure we didn't strand runners."

Mayo's Laura Felton led off the game by reaching on a throwing error, but Kelly stifled the threat by fanning two of the next three batters.

The Spartans also got its leadoff hitter on in the third when Keira Sutcliff-Stephenson lined a shot off of Kelly's leg that second baseman Kylene Erstad was unable to field cleanly. This would be the only hit allowed by Kelly on the afternoon, and when Keri Feller gunned down the runner trying to steal second, Mayo's best scoring chance was extinguished.

Kelly got more dominant as the game wore on, striking out the side in the fifth inning and retiring 11 batters in a row at one point. In the seventh, shortstop Caitlin Jurgensen followed an Austin error with a nifty unassisted double play to eliminate the only other Mayo baserunner after the third.

"She's definitely had our number the last few years," said Mayo head coach Steve Riles of Kelly, "and I think we might've been a little gunshy of her going in."

Feller was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate, keying rallies in the second and fourth innings with leadoff singles. Her courtesy runner Sarah Brady stole a base and scored on an error to begin the scoring for the Packers.

"That's why we have her in the cleanup spot," Waterbury said of Feller. "She's got the best natural swing on the team so we know she's usually going to make contact and make things happen for us."

Feller's partner in crime this particular afternoon was Stephanie Sundberg, who stepped up from the No. 9 slot with the biggest hit of the afternoon for Austin. She slashed an outside pitch from Rathbun down the right-field line, beating the relay throw to the plate for the second Austin run.

"I hadn't been hitting the ball real well lately," said Sundberg, "so it was nice to hit a good line drive like we've been working on."

"That was a big hit for us," Waterbury said of the home run. "It's great for our team when we've got a hitter like Stephanie at the bottom of the order."

Austin blew the game open in the fourth thanks to some wildness by Rathbun and the Mayo fielders. After Feller's base hit, Steph Eslinger was hit by a pitch. An error by Spartan first baseman Kari Orth on a Lauren Goettsch bunt cleared the bases. Meggan Rider followed with a base hit, and another Mayo miscue on the play allowed Goettsch to come around to give the Packers a 5-0 lead.

"They've got a nice team, which we knew coming in," Riles said of Austin. "But we've got a young team, and we'll play better defense as the year goes on."

Mayo drops to 1-1 on the season, while Austin remains perfect at 3-0 overall and in conference play.

Austin is back in action today at 5 p.m. against the visiting Winona Winhawks.

Notes: AHS head coach Todd Waterbury recorded his 100th career win Saturday against Faribault, while Mayo head coach Steve Riles notched his 200th win against Rochester Century Saturday.

Boxscore:

MayoAustin

abrhbiabrhbi

Fulton lf3000Erstad 2b3000

Linbo 2b3000Hingeveld lf2000

Click 3b3000 Seeck lf1000

Rathbun p2000Kelly p3010

Uehling cf1000Feller c3030

Malone ss2000 Brady cr0200

Orth 1b2000Eslinger 3b2100

Huxsahl rf2000Turvey 1b2000

Stclf-Stph c2010Goettsch dh2100

Monahan cf2000 White ph1000

Harberts lf0000Rider rf3010

Sundberg cf2121

Barclay1000

Totals22010Totals25571

Mayo0000000--013

Austin011300x--572

HR--Sundberg (1). SB--Brady, Goettsch. CS--Sutcliff-Stephenson. S--Click, Turvey, Goettsch.

IPHRERBBSO

Mayo

Rathbun, L575106

Monahan100000

Austin

Kelly, W 3-07100011

HBP--Eslinger (by Rathbun). WP--Rathbun.