MANKATO &045; The lineup looked a lot different for the Albert Lea High School baseball team.

So did the scoreboard.

The Tigers, blown out 14-1 by Rochester Mayo a day earlier, had several personnel changes Friday and played tough in a 10-inning, 6-5 loss at Mankato East.

&uot;It was our best effort in quite a while,&uot; said ALHS coach Joe Sczublewski, whose team lost 21-11 to East earlier this season. &uot;Hopefully, it’s a sign of things to come. We had opportunities to win today, it was a real well played game. Unfortunately we came up on the short end, but we played hard today.&uot;

A three-run home run by Andy Drenth put the Tigers up 3-0 in the first inning, and they led 5-3 after six. East tied it with a pair in the bottom of the seventh and won it on a fly ball off an outfielder’s glove in the 10th.

&uot;We had runners in scoring position a couple times in extra innings but couldn’t come through,&uot; said Sczublewski.

Jay Link was 3-for-5 for the Tigers. Adam Highum went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Drenth was 2-for-5. David Heijerman, Derek Goodnature and Brandon Klukow each had one hit.

Highum made his first start on the mound and did not allow a hit until two outs in the fifth. He gave up three earned runs on six hits, with one walk and six strikeouts.

Isaac Walton went the rest of the way and took the loss, allowing one earned run on three hits, with one walk and three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings.

The Tigers have another busy week upcoming as they travel to Fairmont Monday, host Austin Tuesday and entertain Rochester John Marshall Friday.

AL

300

002

000

0 &045; 5

10

3

ME

000

021

200

1 &045; 6

9

2

LP &045; Isaac Walton