Austin Packers baseball falls to Stewartville 3-0 in Section 1AAA quarterfinals

The Austin Packers baseball team, the No. 5 seed in the Section 1AAA tournament traveled to Stewartville to take on the No. 4 seeded Tigers in the tournament quarterfinals Saturday, and it was Tigers righthander Titan Kunder throwing a two-hit shutout as the Tigers blanked the Packers, 3-0.

The Tigers utilized a double, a bunt single and a double play to score the first run of the game in the bottom of the second inning for a 1-0 lead, but starting in the third, Austin starter Nick Robertson settled in and retired seven in a row until the bottom of the sixth when, with one out, the Tigers used a walk, a balk, two errors and a single to score a pair of unearned runs to make the score 3-0.  The best threat for the Packers to score came in the top of the third when, with two out, No. 9 hitter Isaac Osgood drew a walk, and leadoff hitter Peyton Ransom then doubled, but Kunder, who struck out six and walked three, induced a routine fly ball to right field to get out of the jam.

Ransom wound up going 1 for 3 with a double, and cleanup hitter Isaac Stromlund had the other hit in the game for Austin in three trips to the plate as Kunder retired the last seven batters he faced to earn the win on the mound for Stewartville.

The Packers are now 8-13 on the season, and they will return to action Tuesday either at home versus Faribault, or at Northfield in the Section 1AAA elimination bracket, with first pitch Tuesday scheduled for 5 p.m.