MANKATO &045; After facing one of the state’s best in the Rochester Redhawks a night earlier, the Albert Lea American Legion baseball team figured to have an easier time at Mankato Tuesday.

It was easier. But not much. Post 56 fell 13-3 in six innings at Franklin Rogers Park. It was 15-0 in five innings at Rochester.

&uot;They have a good team, I think they’re 7-3 now,&uot; said Albert Lea coach Matt Trygstad of Mankato. &uot;Our defense was good tonight. They just hit it where we weren’t.&uot;

The visitors had trouble hitting it anywhere, totaling only three hits and three walks while striking out five times.

&uot;We just didn’t bring our bats to the park today,&uot; said Trygstad. &uot;It’s tough to win with only three hits.&uot;

Mankato, which survived four errors, had 13 hits off three Albert Lea pitchers.

Derek Goodnature started and absorbed the loss, giving up three earned runs in two innings. He walked five, hit three batters and struck out one.

Josh Diaz was reached for four earned runs in the next two innings. He walked two, fanned two and hit two.

&uot;I don’t know if they’ll play us again,&uot; said Trygstad of the hit batsmen, which would probably be a single-game record if such statistics were kept. Luke Stevens started the sixth but didn’t finish it as Mankato ended the game by the 10-run rule.

Trailing 4-1 after two innings, Post 56 got on the board in the top of the third when Joel Hestness walked and, one out later, Goodnature and Stevens hit into infield errors.

Back-to-back doubles by Isaiah Parry and Matt Bracker produced a run in the sixth. Bracker advanced to third when Nate Loberg’s grounder was mishandled by the shortstop and scored as Mike Minehart hit into an error by the first baseman.

Parry was 2-for-3, both doubles.

Mankato 13, Post 56 3

Albert Lea

001

002 – 3

3

2

Mankato

131

323 – 13

13

4

LP – Derek Goodnature