Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms softball falls to Waseca 1-0 in season opener

The Blooming Prairie Awesome Blossoms softball team, a squad returning seven starters and three All-Gopher Conference players from 2022 took on the Waseca Bluejays in a non-conference matchup at the Austin Packerdome Tuesday to kick off the 2023 season, and it was the Bluejays pushing across the only run of the game in the bottom of the 1st inning to win 1-0.

The Blossoms picked up four hits in the game, led by first baseman Lexi Steckelberg, who was 2 for 2, and shortstop Macy Lembke and pitcher Haven Carlson, who were both All-Gopher Conference players for the Blossoms last year both singled for the other two Blooming Prairie hits.

Carlson was strong in the circle for the Blossoms, giving up just the one run, which was unearned, on three hits, striking out seven and walking five.  Waseca wound up the game with the one run on three hits with no errors, and they left eight runners on base, while Blooming Prairie had no runs on four hits, one error and five runners left on base.

The Blossoms will start Gopher Conference play against Hayfield back at the Packerdome Thursday afternoon, with first pitch at 4:30 p.m.