Cooled Off: Owatonna musters four hits in 4-1 loss to Rochester Century

Just a day removed from having a contest cancelled due to rain, it was a perfect day for the Owatonna softball team to host Kids Night at Morehouse Park.
If only there was a perfect ending.
Mustering just four hits, the Huskies were unable to battle back from an early deficit, falling to Rochester Century in Big Nine Conference action Tuesday.
“She’s a good pitcher,” commented Huskies head coach Brian Pilcher. “She mixes up her speeds and we couldn’t adjust to it.”
Owatonna pitcher Alexa Sommers got into trouble early as Century managed to move runners into scoring position as giving up a pair of singles. Luckily, she managed to surrender just one run as second baseman Ellie Rohman managed to throw out Annika Zimmer at home on a fielder’s choice.
After allowing three hits in the first inning, the junior appeared to get into her groove, surrendering just one hit in the following two innings. In fact, in the first three innings, six of the seven Century runners to reach scoring position were left stranded.
“She settled down and actually was able to get some strikeouts there. I’d have to go back and look, but Lexi does a good job of not walking batters, which we struggled with earlier in the season,” added Pilcher.
As for the Huskies’ bats, they were simply unable to get into a rhythm against Erin Ziebarth. Through four innings, Owatonna managed just two hits, while managing to walk a total of 14 batters to the box. Pilcher noted that it was a case of being too aggressive at times.
“I don’t think we were patient in the box,” Pilcher said. “I think we chased a lot of balls which gets her ahead in the count and good pitchers take advantage of that.”
Boasting a 1-0 lead, the Panthers opened the top of the fifth with a pair of hits, one being a RBI double. In her longest inning, Sommers faced eight batters, allowing three runs on three hits. What was critical however was that Century managed to prolong at-bats.
Despite allowing eight hits, Sommers battled through the jams, finishing with three inning-ending strikeouts. She would finish with six strikeouts while allowing two walks, although she would hit two batters.
Facing a 4-0 deficit entering the bottom of the fifth, Jamie Davison would start the hopeful comeback with a single before stealing second base. Just two batters later, Jenna VonRuden’s RBI double would give the Huskies not only their final hit, but the lone score of the contest.
Ziebarth managed to make quick work of Owatonna in the final two innings, recording four strikeouts against the final six batters she faced.
Owatonna will travel to Austin on Thursday.