The Austin 16U softball team was firing on all cylinders when it swept New Richland-HEG by scores of 7-1 and 11-1 in five innings at Todd Park Monday.

Abbey Ball and McKenna Gleisner each pitched a gem and the offense totaled 20 hits in the sweep.

Gleisner faced a jam in the top of the second inning of the opener when a walk and two errors loaded the bases with one out, but she came up with a strikeout and she forced a fly-out to get out of the jam.

“I tried to pick my team up and keep moving,” Gleisner said. “I’m learning and I’m getting stronger (throughout the summer).”

Gleisner struck out eight in the win and she didn’t allow a hit until there was one out in the fifth.

“I’ve coached McKenna for the past three years and she’s one of the most steady people I know.” Austin head coach Lisa Quednow-Bickler said. “Pitching-wise you can’t ask for a better personality than that, she doesn’t show a lot of emotion and she stays calm.”

In the second game, Ball allowed two walks and a triple in the first inning, but she retired 12 of the next 13 hitters to take control. Ball finished with seven strikeouts.

“I do that every single game,” Ball said. “That first inning is garbage and then I clean it up. I just have to hit my groove.”

Austin (18-12-1 overall) used five-run rallies in both games as it put up five in the third inning of the nightcap and it five in the top of the first inning of the opener.

Sydney Murphy went four-for-six with four RBIs on the day, Shaley Vesel went 3-for-8 with a double and three RBIs and Ball went 2-for-6 with a triple and an RBI.

“She pitched right down the middle,” Ball said of NRHEG’s Jade Schultz. “We just had to get her timing down and we were good to go.”

Austin is currently in first place in the Southern Minny Division and it will host a doubleheader with Owatonna Wednesday at 6 p.m. and it will host a doubleheader with Albert Lea Thursday at 6 p.m. to close the regular season. If Austin wins three of those four games, it will win the Southern Minny title, according to Quednow-Bickler.

Austin also finished third in the Fairmont Tournament over the weekend. Austin lost to Fairmont 7-5, beat the Rochester Storm 15-1 and beat the Rochester Eagles 7-3.

Murphy went 5-for-11 with two doubles, a triple and 8 RBIs over the weekend.

 

NRHEG 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 — 1 5 0

Austin 0 0 5 2 0 0 X — 7 11 2

Austin pitching: McKenna Gleisner (W), 7 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 8 K

Austin hitting: Haley Kiefer, 1-for-2, 2 SB, 2 BB, R; Abby Bickler, 1-for-4, double, R; Shaley Vesel, 2-for-4, double, 2 RBI, R, SB; Sydney Murphy, 1-for-3, 2 RBI, R; Abbey Ball, 1-for-3, triple, RBI, R; Alicia Sforza, 1-for-3, RBI; Kallie Hart, 2-for-3; Keisha Berg, 0-for-2; Erin Dankert, 2-for-3, double, triple, 2 R; Haley Newman, 0-for-2; McKayla Swenson, 0-for-1

Austin 5 4 2 0 0 — 11 9 0

NRHEG 1 0 0 0 0 — 1 2 4

Austin pitching: Ball (W), 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 7 K

Austin hitting: Kiefer, 1-for-3, R, BB; Bickler, 1-for-4, 2 R, SB; Murphy, 3-for-3, 2 RBI, 3 R, SB; Ball, 1-for-3, R, BB; Vesel, 1-for-4, RBI, 2 R, SB; Hart, 0-for-1, 2 R, 2 BBs; Swenson, 0-for-1, 3 BBs; Gleisner, 1-for-1, 2 RBI, 2 BBs; Berg, 1-for-1, RBI; Dankert, BB; Newman, 0-for-2; Sforza, 0-for-1

FAIRMONT TOURNAMENT

Fairmont 7, Austin 5

Austin pitching: Ball (L), 7 IP, 4 H, 8 BB, 7 R, 2 ER 9 K, 1 HBP

Austin hitting: Ball, 2-for-3, 2 RBI; Murphy, 1-for-3, double, 2 RBIs, R

Austin 15, Storm 1

Austin pitching: Gleisner (W), 5 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 R, 2 K

Austin hitting: Kiefer, 1-for-4, 3 R; Bickler, 1-for-2, RBI, 4 R; Murphy, 2-for-4, 4 RBIs, 4 R; Dankert, 1-for-1, 2 R

Austin 7, Rochester Eagles 3

Austin pitching: Ball (W), 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 8 K

Austin hitting: Murphy, 2-for-4, double, triple, 2 RBIs; Ball, 3-for-3, 2 doubles, triple, RBI; Bickler, 3-for-4, double