Huskies fall to Tigers 3-0 in opening round of Section 1-AAAA tournament

Farmington – What a difference two weeks can make.
Just three games removed from an 8-3 loss at the hands of Farmington High School on May 12, the Owatonna girls softball team was in the thick of the battle for much of the contest.
However, the fifth-ranked team in the state proved why they were awarded the No.2 seed in the Section 1-AAAA tournament.
Collecting seven hits, the Tigers (18-3) managed to record just enough run support to top the Huskies (6-14) 3-0 on a drizzling Tuesday afternoon in the opening round of the Section 1-AAAA tournament.
“I challenged them to a new season,” commented Huskies head coach Brian Pilcher. “I knew it would be tough coming up here. Overall, I was happy with how they played and I thought our defense stepped up.”
Through three innings, the Huskies and Tigers were deadlocked in a scoreless ballgame that boasted just five hits. In fact, Owatonna held a slim advantage with three hits to Farmington’s two. Two of those hits nearly allowed the Huskies to put immense pressure on the fifth-ranked team in Class AAAA.
Ellie Rohman registered a single after hitting a chopper to right field with one out in the top of the second inning. After a wild pitch allowed the senior second baseman to easily take second, Owatonna catcher Kenzie Karsten chopped a hard ground ball, but would be thrown out at first as Rohman to advance to third. She would ultimately be stranded at third as Tori Buck grounded out to end the inning. Rohman was strong for the Huskies at the plate, going 3-for-3.
In the following inning, Jamie Davison’s double again had Owatonna in prime position to take the first lead of the game. The threat was quickly eliminated as the junior third baseman was tagged out at third on Jenna VonRuden’s fielder’s choice.
While Owatonna was generating a little pressure on Farmington at the plate, starting pitcher Alexa Sommers was seemingly in the zone. Despite allowing a pair of two-out singles in the first two frames, the junior was unfazed. She needed just five pitches to retire the Tigers in the bottom of the third inning. In six innings of work, she allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out one.
“She pitched a great game,” commented Pilcher. “I thought she was enough to keep them (Farmington hitters) on their front foot.”
With two outs, the Tigers recorded a hit in the bottom of the fourth inning. And this time, the Huskies felt the sting.
On a routine fly ball, Owatonna’s Erin Peterson appeared the lose the ball, just nicking it with her glove before it dropped as Elly Rust started to burn a path on the soggy base paths to score a pair of runs. The two-out mishap would be the third time in the game that the Tigers managed to extend the inning. For the game, they recorded five two-out hits.
“I’m a firm believer that it’s hard to pull a pitcher when there not overwhelmed,” Pilcher added. “I had Liv Larson ready to go, but it’s one of those that it can look pretty bad if you pull the pitcher when you’re still in the game. It’s a judgement call.”
In the sixth inning, Emma Frost  displayed her power, hitting a tape measure shot to deep right-centerfield to extend the lead to 3-0. Rohman’s standup double to start the seventh inning seemed like it would be the potential fire starter that the Huskies needed, but would again be stranded to end the game.
Owatonna will play the winner of Rochester Century and Rochester Mayo Thursday at 4:00 p.m. at Todd Park in Austin. With a win, the Huskies would play again that evening. 

Box Score
OHS  0 0 0 0 0 0 0  0 6 1
FHS  0 0 0 2 0 1 x  3 7 0
LP: Sommers - 6 IP, 3R (1ER), 7H, K, 
Owatonna hitters: 
VonRuden 1-3, Hager 0-3, Blazek 1-3, Peterson 0-3, Rohman 3-3, Karsten 0-3, Buck 0-3, Johnson 0-2, Davison 1-2.