ROCHESTER &045; Coach Sherrie Gayken has never seen a year when there were so many injuries for the Albert Lea High School softball team.

It’s made for a challenging season, especially in the field.

&uot;We keep moving people around to different positions, it makes it difficult to develop any continuity on defense,&uot; said Gayken. &uot;It says a lot for the kids that we can move them around like that, but if we could get healthy we could do a little better defensively.&uot;

And probably win a few more games.

The Tigers committed three errors &045; and, according to Gayken, some mental miscues &045; while falling 9-3 at Rochester Century Tuesday. It dropped Albert Lea’s record to 1-7, all in Big Nine play.

As in other games this season, the Tigers kept it close most of the way but were hurt by one big inning. This time it was the fifth, when the Panthers plated six runs.

The Tigers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third when Ashley Chrz reached on an error, Danielle Jacobs tripled and Amber Edwards singled.

Albert Lea knotted it at 3 in the top of the fifth on a single by Leah Boyer and a triple by Chrz.

The Panthers opened the sixth with three singles off Tiger starter Nicole Rafdal. Therese Paczkowski came on in relief but gave up two more hits and a pair of walks.

Rafdal took the loss, giving up seven runs on six hits in four innings. She walked three and struck out one. Paczkowski allowed three runs on four hits in two innings, walking three.

Chrz had two of the Tigers’ six hits, reaching base three times and scoring once. The other Albert Lea hits were by Boyer, Jacobs, Edwards and Christine Berggren.

&uot;Tonight we were much more aggressive as far as putting the bat on the ball,&uot; said Gayken.

&uot;We’ve just got to work more on communication and defensive teamwork.&uot;

The Tigers are scheduled to play Thursday at Owatonna.

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LP &045; Nicole Rafdal