Austin junior Halie Retterath was unstoppable at the plate as the Packer softball team started strong and they picked up their first win of the season when they beat Blooming Prairie 9-2 in the dome in Wescott Athletic Complex Monday.

Retterath got Austin rolling when she singled and scored on an error in the first inning and she put the Packers (1-2 overall) in control when she blasted a three-run homer to deep left field to put Austin up 5-1 in the second inning. Retterath’s homer was her first ever varsity long ball and she finished the day going four-for-four with a walk and five RBIs.

“The homer felt really good,” Retterath said. “I was going up with the mentality that I can hit the ball and it helps a lot to stay positive.”

Austin head coach Al Eckmann said that Retterath’s early homer got the Packers going as a team.

“She smoked it. That was a great hit and that helps,” Eckmann said. “We had some runners on early on and that home run really set the tide for us to get some more. I think we had some really timely hits. Our hitting is getting better and I was pleased with our defense. We’re still not making all of the plays we need to make, but we’re young.”

The Awesome Blossoms (0-1 overall) had chance to score multiple runs in the fifth and seventh innings when they had the bases loaded with no outs and in both frames. But they didn’t score any runs in the fifth as Austin pitcher Hannah Rasmussen retired three straight hitters and BP mustered just one run in the seventh, when Rasmussen retired three straight again.

Rasmussen struck out eight and allowed zero earned runs in the win as she didn’t walk a single hitter.

“I felt really focused today. All of my pitches were working really well,” Ramussen said. “We know what we can do now. We can hit the ball, we can score runs and we can get out of jams.”

Bria Baldwin had the lone RBI in the loss for BP.

Austin will continue its busy schedule to start the season as it is scheduled to play at Stewartville 5 p.m. Tuesday. Eckmann said his young team is coming along.

“I think we’re getting better, I really do,” he said. “That’s good.”

BP 0 1 0  0 0 0  1  —  2  6  4

Austin 1 4 1  0 3 0  X  —  9  9  4

Austin pitching: Hannah Rasmussen (W) 7 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 8 K

Austin hitting: Halie Retterath, 4-for-4, HR, 5 RBIs, 3 R, BB; Taylor Derry, 0-for-2, BB; Adison Medgaarden, 1-for-2, SB, BB, HBP; Hannah McMasters, 0-for-3, RBI, BB; Jenna Braaten, 0-for-4; Courtney Kusick, 0-for-2, R, BB, HBP; Kyra Walters, 3-for-4, 2 R, SB; Hannah Biwer, 0-for-1, R, 3 BBs; Justine Reimers, 1-for-3, RBI, 2 R; Caitlin Kaercher, 0-for-1; Hannah Burkhart, 0-for-1

BP pitching: Elly Strunk (L) 6 IP, 9 H, 8 BB, 9 R, 3 K

BP hitting: McKenna Hein, 1-for-4; Maya Lembke, 0-for-4; Bria Baldwin, 1-for-4, RBI; Strunk, 1-for-4, double, R; Julia Worke, 1-for-3; Allison Krohnberg, 1-for-2; Jerrin Jax, 1-for-3; Marti Snider, 0-for-3, R; Riauna Bishop, 0-for-1