The No. 2 Austin softball team's tendency for late-inning mental lapses finally caught up with it Friday at Winona. Unearned runs in the fifth and sixth were too much for the Packers to overcome, sending them to a 2-1 loss for their second Big Nine Conference defeat of the week.

"We can't have days off anymore," said AHS head coach Todd Waterbury. "Our bats aren't always going to bail us out.

"You can't be missing out on too many components of the game and be successful, and we didn't have several of them today."

Austin had three extra-base hits among its five hits on the day, but the Packers were unable to get anyone home through the first six innings off Winona's Amanda Braatz.

Austin could not capitalize on a double by Kylene Erstad to lead off the game, as Braatz got three straight outs to strand her at third.

The Packers also left Keri Feller on after her two-out double in the fourth.

AHS loaded the bases with two outs in sixth, but Steph Eslinger grounded out to end the inning.

Winona didn't get much going off of Amy Kelly either, who allowed only three hits on the afternoon. Once again, it was the Packer defense that was their undoing.

The Winhawks got a runner on thanks to an Austin error. A stolen base and a passed ball got her to third, where Lindsey Rader knocked her in with a single. After a walk and a base hit to center, Steph Sundberg made a nice throw to the plate to keep Rader from scoring another run.

Winona scored its other run in the sixth. beginning with a leadoff double. After bunting the runner to third, a two-out error by Austin made it a 2-0 game.

Angie Rohne finally got the Packers on the board in the seventh, tripling and scoring on an RBI-groundout from Meggan Rider. Sundberg followed with her second base hit of the day. But a repeat of their first meeting with Winona, in which the Packers came back from 3-1 down to win 4-3 in extra innings, wasn't in the cards on this day as Erstad flied out to end the game.

"To the girls' credit, they didn't give up, they showed some signs of life there in seventh," Waterbury said. "We just needed to show them a bit earlier."

Kelly pitched well, bouncing back from a case of strep throat that caused her to miss Thursday's game with Owatonna. She struck out six and allowed no earned runs, but after the loss her record now stands at 13-2 on the year.

The Packers drop to 12-2 in the Big Nine and 15-2 overall. They begin their final week of the regular season Monday at Rochester Mayo before returning to Todd Park Tuesday for Seniors Night against Century.

Austin0000001--153

Winona000011x--232

WP--Braatz. LP--Kelly (13-2).