Austin Packers baseball edged by Winona 7-6 in home opener Saturday

The Austin Packers baseball team played host to the Winona Winhawks for their 2023 home opener at Dick Seltz Field Saturday afternoon, and unfortunately for the Packers, three outfield errors led to five Winhawk runs in the top of the fourth inning to erase a then 2-1 Austin lead in a 7-6 setback.

In a game that Austin Head Coach Jacob Nelson described as back and forth and very competitive on both sides, the Packers tallied two runs in the bottom of the second inning to take the 2-1 lead before Winona tallied the five runs in the top of the fourth for a 6-2 lead.  Austin came back with a run of their own in the bottom half of the inning to halve the Winhawk lead at 6-3, but Winona scored what turned out to be the game-winningrun in the top of the sixth for a 7-3 cushion.  The Packers rallied with two in the bottom of the sixth and another run in the seventh, but their rally fell just short.

Offensively for Austin, Brayden Bishop was one of five Packers with two hits apiece in the game as he went 2 for 3 with a double, the first home run for the squad for the young season, three RBI’s, two runs scored and a stolen base, Nick Robertson went 2 for 4 with a pair of RBI’s and a stolen base, Isaac Osgood tallied two hits in three official trips to the plate with an RBI and a run scored, Ethan Anderson was 2 for 4 with a run scored, Kody Blom went 2 for 3 with a stolen base, and Isaac Stromlund was 1 for 4 with a triple and a run scored as the Packers belted out 12 hits overall

Peyton Ransom got the start on the mound for Austin Saturday and went 3 1/3rd innings, giving up three runs, two earned on two hits, striking out six and walking six, Brayden Bishop pitched one inning and gave up no runs on one hit, striking out one and walking one, and Blake Cummings went the last 2 2/3rds and gave up four runs, three earned, on six hits, striking out seven and walking two.

The Packers are out to an 0-2 start, and they are scheduled to be back in action Tuesday at home versus Rochester Mayo, with first pitch at Dick Seltz Field at 5:00 p.m.