Gallery: Knights rally past Bucs

Published 9:20 pm Friday, April 11, 2014

Jessica Price of Alden-Conger swings at the ball Friday against Waterville-Elysian-Morristown at Alden. After trailing 4-0 at the end of the first inning, Alden-Conger rallied to win 6-5 in eight innings. — Micah Bader/Albert Lea Tribune

Jessica Price of Alden-Conger swings at the ball Friday against Waterville-Elysian-Morristown at Alden. After trailing 4-0 at the end of the first inning, Alden-Conger rallied to win 6-5 in eight innings. — Micah Bader/Albert Lea Tribune

ALDEN — A rocky start wasn’t enough to stop the Alden-Conger softball team.

Waterville-Elysian-Morristown scored four runs in the top of the first inning on Friday, but the Knights fought back to tie the game in the sixth, force an extra inning and win 6-5.

Despite the early deficit, Alden-Conger stayed calm.

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“They don’t mind getting down. They know they can hit the ball,” said Alden-Conger coach Gary Nelson. “We’ve got the hitters, it’s just a matter of getting the hits together.”

After losing her first contest of the season, Alden-Conger pitcher Jessica Price earned her first varsity win. She pitched all eight innings, gave up seven hits and eight walks and struck out one batter.

“She settled down a little bit, and we still think she can get better,” Nelson said. “The team backed her up with good defense. We got a lot of outs with people on base.”

Kelsey Newman led Alden-Conger at the plate. She was 3-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and two runs scored.

“It’s the first game she’s started,” Nelson said. “For a freshman to come in like that, it’s not too shabby.”

Kasey Knutson and Cassie Gilster each added two hits.

Next, Alden-Conger (1-1 overall, 0-1 Gopher Conference) will play at 4:30 p.m. Monday at Lyle/Pacelli.

Statistics are in the Scoreboard: April 11 post.