MANKATO &045; The conference-leading Mankato West Scarlets were ripe for an upset.

Errors prevented the Albert Lea Tigers from pulling it off.

The Tigers wasted a strong pitching effort by sophomore Brandon Klukow, committing five errors in a 7-4 Big Nine baseball loss at Mankato Thursday.

&uot;Klukow battled so well,&uot; said Tigers coach Joe Sczublewski. &uot;He had good command of the strike zone all day. I just wish we could have played a little better defense behind him. It would have been a nice victory for us.&uot;

It also would have been their first of the year. The loss dropped them to 0-11 in the Big Nine and 0-12 overall. The Scarlets improved to 10-1 in the conference.

Klukow, a left-hander, pitched a complete game for the Tigers, allowing five hits and one walk. He struck out five.

The only earned runs for West came on a two-run first-inning home run.

The Tigers had three hits, one each by Ben Meillier, Dave Heijerman and Dave Villarreal.

Albert Lea rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh inning and had the bases loaded when the third out came on a called strike three.

&uot;We had a nice little rally at the end there,&uot; said Sczublewski. &uot;We could have beat those guys.&uot;

The Tigers travel to Faribault for a doubleheader on Tuesday.

Mankato West 7, Albert Lea 4

AL

000

110

2 &045; 4

3

5

MW

210

121

x &045; 7

5

1

LP &045; Brandon Klukow