Packer softball team is swept by Rochester Century
Published 1:08 am Sunday, April 13, 2014
ROCHESTER — The Austin softball team found its hitting stride on Saturday, but it slipped up in some other areas as it was swept by Rochester Century by scores of 7-5 and 15-10 in Rochester Regional Sports Stadium in RCTC.
Austin’s Bailee Brooks heads towards third base against Rochester Century in RCTC Saturday. — Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
The Packers (0-4 overall, 0-4 Big Nine) rallied to a 5-2 lead in the first game, but they committed a flurry of errors as the Panthers scored five runs in the last two innings to take over. Century took the lead for good in the top of the seventh inning when it scored on an error and a wild pitch.
Austin had a total of eight errors in the opener.
“Sometimes our bats aren’t always going and we need to make up for it in the field and keep playing defense,” Austin catcher Sidney Murphy said. “That will always keep you in games. Defense wins games.”
Austin had taken its lead by scoring four runs in the fifth. Shayley Vesel, Abby Bickler, Jesse Smith and Jordan Huntley all had RBIs in the rally.
“In the first game we had errors compounded,” Austin head coach Cindy Owen said. “We would make one mistake and we would have another and we just couldn’t get over the hump. We talked about getting over them. When you make a mistake, you have to get over it.”
The Packers were out of the second game almost before it began. Century tallied seven runs in the top of the first and it added seven more in the top of the third to go up 14-3.
Austin was able to close the gap due to some power hitting. Abbey Ball hit a pair of two run homers and Murphy also had a two-run homer.
Ball now has four homers on the year and she was 4-for-5 with five RBIs Saturday. She was also intentionally walked three times and that only served as motivation for Ball.
Austin’s Erin Dankert holds up at second base in the first game of a doubleheader in RCTC against Rochester Century Saturday. — Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
“That makes me want to come back out and keep ripping it,” Ball said of the walks.
Murphy’s home run was the first time she had ever hit one over the fence in her softball career. She knew she made solid contact, but she wasn’t expecting the ball to sail over the left field fence.
“I knew I hit it pretty good, but I didn’t think it was going out. I thought it was just going to be a double,” Murphy said.
Austin’s Jaidyn Bastian pitched well in relief in game two as she allowed just one earned run and struck out six in four and two thirds of an inning of work.
“Jaidyn Bastian did a nice job pitching in the second game,” Owen said.
Century 0 0 2 0 0 3 2 — 7 7 2
Austin 0 0 0 1 4 0 0 — 5 8 8
Austin pitching: Abbey Ball (L), 7 IP, 7 H, 5 BB, 7 R, 2 ER, 8 K
Austin hitting: Shayley Vesel, 1-for-3, double, RBI, BB; Abby Bickler, 1-for-4, RBI, 2 R; Sydney Murphy, 1-for-3, double; Ball, 2-for-3, RBI, BB; Jesse Smith, 1-for-4, RBI; Jordan Huntley, 1-for-3, RBI; Jaidyn Bastian, 0-for-3; Erin Dankert, 1-for-3, R, SB; Brooke Pazurek, 0-for-1; Bailee Brooks, 2 SB, R
Austin’s Shayley Vesel places a tag on Rochester Century’s Erin Ziebarth in RCTC Saturday. — Rocky Hulne/sports@austindailyherald.com
Century 7 0 7 0 0 1 0 — 15 14 0
Austin 2 1 3 0 2 0 2 — 10 12 1
Austin pitching: Pazurek (L), 2 1/3 IP, 11 H, 7 BB, 14 ER; Bastian, 4 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 1 ER, 6 K
Austin hitting: Vesel, 3-for-4, 2 doubles, 2 R, 2 SB; Brooks, 2-for-4, RBI, 2 R, SB; Murphy, 3-for-4, HR, 4 RBIs, 2 R; Ball, 2-for-2, 2 HR, 4 RBIs, 2 BBs, 2 R; Smith, 1-for-4; Pazurek, BB, R SB; Keisha Berg, 0-for-3; McKenna Gleisner, 0-for-3, RBI; Bickler, 0-for-2, SB, BB; Bastian, 0-for-3
