The long trip to Winona was longer than usual for the Albert Lea VFW baseball team.

The ball definitely bounced more favorably on the home field.

After dropping both ends of a doubleheader at Winona on Saturday, committing nine errors in game two, Post 447 split a pair of games with Red Wing at Hayek Field Sunday.

The difference in the opener at Winona wasn’t errors &045; Albert Lea had one &045; it was big innings by Winona, which scored six runs in the fourth and four in the sixth in a 10-5 decision.

Ryan Truesdell and Brock Sorenson were both 2-for-3, with one hit apiece by Pete Bracker and Preston Dahl.

Donald Graves started on the mound and took the loss, allowing six runs &045; four earned &045; in

3 2/3 innings, with three hits, four walks and three strikeouts. Bracker and Sorenson pitched in relief.

Game two was decided early as Albert Lea had all nine of its errors in the first two innings, leading to 10 runs and a 10-4 loss.

Jarred Stadheim was 2-for-2 and Brandon Klukow was 2-for-3. Dahl and Truesdell each had one hit.

Nate Goodnature took the loss despite allowing two balls out of the infield. In 1 2/3 innings, he gave up 10 runs on three hits and four walks. Only two of the runs were earned.

Klukow gave Post 447 a much-needed complete game against Red Wing, tossing a five-hitter in a 7-3 victory. He struck out eight and walked two, not allowing an earned run.

Klukow helped his cause by going 2-for-3. Truesdell, Sorenson and Dahl also hit safely.

In game two, a combination of eight passed balls and wild pitches and 10 walks for Albert Lea pitchers, combined with 12 strikeouts and no walks for Winona’s, led to a 13-2 loss.

&uot;Against Winona, we just came out flat,&uot; said coach Matt Trygstad. &uot;We didn’t play very well at all over there. On Sunday, Brandon Klukow pitched a great game for us. We were out of pitching, and he toughed it out despite the heat and got stronger as the game went on.&uot;

Post 447, 4-6 overall and 3-3 in the Western Division, host Rochester Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Hayek Field. Trygstad is trying to reschedule the weekend games because of the Gus Macker tournament this weekend in Albert Lea.