Owatonna's softball team put together some solid fundamentals and earned a 7-4 victory over Austin at Todd Park Tuesday. The Huskies bunched hits together to score runs in four of the seven innings. Freshman pitcher Parris Hovden fanned ten batters. OHS ran the bases well. It all added up to their first Big Nine Conference victory.

The Huskies never trailed but Austin answered the first couple of leads that Owatonna took. OHS opened the game with a Hovden single, a walk to Ana LaDuke and a blooper by Patty Biegert that fell into short centerfield to load the bases. Mia Hiber drove in a run with a ground out for a 1-0 lead.

The Packers opened the home half of the first with a walk and she ultimately scored to even the game at 1-1.

Each team manufactured a two-run third inning. LaDuke singled and Biegert reached on an error. Both scored on passes balls for a 3-1 Huskies lead. Austin scored twice in the bottom of the inning on three walks and a sacrifice fly.

Owatonna took the lead for good in the fourth. Hovden, LaDuke and Biegert hit back-to-back-to-back singles that pushed in one run. Biegert raced home on an error off a ball hit by Kaitlyn Madole and dropped by the short stop who then threw wildly to first.

The play led to a short discussion between the umpires as Biegert weaved out of the base line to avoid interfering with the defender. The Huskies led 5-3. Austin got one run back in bottom of the fourth.

OHS added insurance with RBI hits by LaDuke and Madole in the sixth for the 7-4 final.

Hovden allowed just three hits while striking out ten. She faced the minimum over the final three innings. Austin led off the fifth with a single but OHS catcher Haylee Mullenbach threw her out with a perfect toss to short stop LaDuke who applied the tag.

Owatonna (2-5, 1-3 Big Nine) plays a makeup game at Rochester Century Wednesday at 4 pm with the coverage on KRFO AM 1390 and the KRFO app.

 

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