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The Chiefs fell 12-1 in seven innings to La Crosse Wednesday night at Gabrych Park.
The Athletics pounded out 16 hits and had 24 total batters reach base.
“It was an ugly way to start off the season,” Winona coach Ryan Buhler said. “La Crosse is an excellent team that can hit up and down their lineup. They played really well and we didn’t play well at all.”
The Athletics started the scoring in the second inning when Steve Anderson drove in Chad Manske with a single up the middle.
The Chiefs answered back in the bottom of the inning when Eric Belter scored on a John Skappel single to tie the game 1-1.
La Crosse put a stranglehold on Winona in the top of the third when it scored six runs on two hits, four walks and two hit batsmen. Chiefs starter Lee Trocinski’s didn’t make it out of the third inning.
Trocinski went 22/3 innings, allowed seven runs, all of them earned, gave six up hits, walked five and struck out two.
“That third inning killed us,” Buhler said. “Lee just had a bad inning. We didn’t pitch well tonight and pitching is one of our strong suits.”
Going into the bottom of the third, there was a delay of about 25 minutes because the lights were turned off and couldn’t be turned back on immediately.
“It was really goofy,” Buhler said of the delay. “I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
The Chiefs only put together five hits and left eight runners on base against Athletics starter Luke Zurbmiggen. Zurbmiggen went seven innings, struck out four and walked five.
Travis Check was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and two runs scored and Matt Sampson was 2-for-3 for La Crosse.
Skappel was 2-for-3 with an RBI and Eric Belter was 1-for-2 with a run scored for Winona.
