The second-seeded Austin softball team was only worried about number one -- but not No. 1 seed Farmington.

Instead the Packers focused on their own game, which was good enough to upend Farmington 5-1 in Tuesday's Section 1AAA softball semifinals at Todd Park in Austin. Leadoff hitter Kylene Erstad went 3-4, scored the first run in the first inning, and set the tone with her ground-ball single on the second pitch she saw.

"I was kind of nervous, I just feel a lot of pressure to get it going for the team," Erstad said. "But she was like my pitcher … it was like my perfect speed."

Austin has responded well to Erstad hitting in the leadoff spot this season, going 11-1 while scoring an average of 5.9 runs per game.

"She finds a way to get it done consistently," said Austin coach Todd Waterbury. "It's no coincidence that since she's been in the leadoff we've been getting it done offensively."

Six runs worth of support was more than enough for Packer pitcher Amy Kelly, who allowed four hits and one earned run to a Farmington team that had averaged 10.5 in two previous postseason games.

"We have been (scoring a lot), but that's not the norm," said Tiger coach Gary Burr. "We hit a couple that were right at (the defense)."

Austin's defense made one mistake -- a throwing error in the top of the first by Kelly -- that was quickly quelled when University of Minnesota prospect Melissa Murnane was caught stealing by Keri Feller on the next pitch.

The bottom third of the Tiger order accounted for their lone run by piecing together a pair of singles, but not before Austin had established a 5-0 lead. The Pack pounced on Farmington's error-filled fielding in the third inning, scoring four runs on three hits and three Tiger errors.

"I was a little disappointed in our fielding, I felt that was a key to the game," Coach Burr said. "We made a few mistakes when they put the pressure on us."

Farmington (20-3) committed four errors en route to the losers' bracket, where they will face Lakeville Thursday night at 6 p.m. on Field 9. Austin will face that game's winner at 6 p.m. Friday, holding the advantage of having not lost in the double-elimination bracket. Thursday's winner will have to beat the Packers twice on Friday in hopes of claiming Section 1AAA's seat at the state tournament June 7-8 in Mankato.

"It doesn't matter who you play, it's about how you play," Coach Waterbury said. "Take care of ourselves."

And even though Austin knocked off the top seed with relative ease -- thanks in great part to Kelly's prolific pitching and near-flawless defense -- the Packers have not settled into an arrogant attitude.

"We always continue to strive to be our best," Coach Waterbury said. "We're still working for that perfect game. No matter how good you think you are, you can always get a little bit better."

Kelly, who struck out four while walking none, shared her coach's sentiment.

"We definitely can't be overconfident Friday," she said. "We need to get on them early because teams don't always play well from behind."

Austin applied the pressure with a run in the first and built up a comfortable lead with four more in the third. No. 9 hitter Caitlin Jurgenson reached with a leadoff single, moved to second on Erstad's groundout, and advanced to third when Betsy Hingeveld got on via an error. Chelsea McColley put the ball in play to Murnane, whose throw home was not in time to cut down Jurgenson's run.

Kelly followed with an RBI-single, and Feller drove in another with a hit to right-center. Kelly's courtesy runner Meggan Rider got caught in a pickle between third and home on Steph Eslinger's grounder to short, but Rider scored when Murnane's throw sailed over the catcher's head.