In an effort to bolster a sluggish offense, some members of the Albert Lea High School softball team took extra batting practice over the weekend.

It helped Danielle Jacobs and Jenny Hovendick.

The rest of the squad continued to struggle.

Jacobs and Hovendick combined for seven hits but their teammates managed only two more as the Tigers lost both ends of a doubleheader to Mankato West at Hammer Field Monday. The Scarlets won 4-2 and 7-3.

&uot;I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but we need to score more runs,&uot; said coach Rick Harves. &uot;The girls played hard. They did a lot of things right. They did a couple things wrong, but at this point they’re doing more things right than wrong. We just need to hit the ball.&uot;

Jacobs hit it hard in game one, when she went 3-for-3 with two doubles and both of the Tigers’ RBIs. Hovendick had the only other Albert Lea hit.

The big inning for the Scarlets was the fifth, when they took advantage of an outfield error for a pair of unearned runs.

Nicole Rafdal went the route on the mound, giving up two earned runs on nine hits, with two walks and one strikeout.

The Tigers turned a 5-2-3 double play with shortstop Ashley Chrz, catcher Jacobs and first base player Amber Edwards to escape a bases-loaded jam.

&uot;It was a struggle,&uot; said Harves. &uot;It was a tough loss. Errors will happen, but you’ve got to score some runs to give yourself a cushion.&uot;

Jacobs was 2-for-4 in the second game. Hovendick, Abby Devries and Laura Olson had the other hits. Olson’s was a double.

Therese Paczkowski pitched, allowing only one walk.

&uot;She pitched a solid game,&uot; said Harves. &uot;Our errors were the difference in the game.&uot; All four of the Scarlets’ fourth-inning runs were unearned.

The losses dropped the Tigers’ record to 1-12, all in the Big Nine. The Scarlets have only three loss, two in the conference.

The Tigers host Owatonna today at Hammer Field and entertain NRHEG in a rescheduled nonconference game on Thursday.

Game 1

Mankato West

000

130

0 &045; 4

9

0

Albert Lea

101

000

0 &045; 2

4

4

LP &045; Nicole Rafdal

Game 2

Mankato West

100

024

0 &045; 7

10

4

Albert Lea

000

200

1 &045; 3

5

6

LP &045; Therese Paczkowski