Austin Greyhounds fall to Rochester Royals 13-3 in 6 innings Wednesday night

The Austin Greyhounds baseball team was back in action at Marcusen Park Wednesday evening versus the defending State Class B champion Rochester Royals, and in the second meeting of the young 2023 season between the two clubs, the Royals used a seven-run top of the fifth inning to win 13-3 in a game called after six innings because of rain.

Rochester jumped out in front 2-0 in the top of the first inning with a pair of long solo home runs, one off the batter’s eye in dead center and the other to right field, and they pushed their lead to 3-0 with another run in the top of the third before the Greyhounds responded with three runs of their own to tie the game at 3 apiece.  Veteran first baseman Mark Harber belted a two-RBI double to the gap in right-center in the inning, and catcher Nestor Jiminez added a two-out, RBI single down the right field line to knot the game at 3 all.

The game remained tied at 3 until the top of the sixth when the Royals parlayed three hits, including a three-run home run and three Austin errors to score seven runs to take a 10-3 lead, and Rochester added three more runs in the sixth inning to lead 13-3 before heavy rain forced the game to be called off heading into the seventh inning.

Right fielder Jordan Hart, designated hitter Alex Ciola, left fielder Sam Nelsen and third baseman Josh Molina all added hits in the game for the Greyhounds, who tallied three runs on six hits, four errors and six men left on base, while Rochester’s final line was 13 runs, 12 hits, no errors and seven men left on base.

With the loss, Austin is now 3-2 on the young season, and the Greyhounds return to action Friday night in Winona versus the Chiefs, with first pitch scheduled 7:30 p.m.  Austin’s next home game is this Sunday versus Pine Island, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.