Albert Lea had lost seven straight on the road dating back to last season, but on Thursday they dropped down to 0-10 to make it eight. They fell just short of the Austin Packers by a score of 5-4. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Packers this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 8-6 back in April.
Taylor Johnson put in work while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching six innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Johnson was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Johnson wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Sienna Murray, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI. That RBI marked the first that Murray has brought in this season.
As for Austin, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 5-6. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games.
Like Albert Lea, Austin also got a great game from a two-way player: Kaydence Schaefer. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Schaefer was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Charlee Cunningham, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI. Ariel Weideman was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Coming up, Albert Lea will be playing in front of their home fans against Owatonna at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Austin has already played their next matchup (against Lourdes), but no score has been uploaded at the time of writing.
