Down to its last strike the Albert Lea baseball team found a way to force extra innings against Mankato East and pulled out the 8-7 triumph in eight innings at Hayek Field Thursday.

The Tiger rally started in the sixth with two outs and a 7-2 deficit. After a pair of Tigers reached, Matt Friedman roped a two-run singleand Casey Woodside followed with an RBI knock

of his own.

Jared Gavle reached with a single with two outs in the seventh before Jared Matson brought him home with a double to close the gap to a single run. Taylor Ignaszewski would get a pair of strikes on him before coming through with an RBI double to plate the tying run.

&8220;We have gotten down big a couple times this season and this team just never quits,&8221; Albert Lea head coach Joe Sczublewski said. &8220;Two out hits is baseball at its most intense.&8221;

The Tigers would complete the comeback win in the eighth as Gavle laced a single with the bases loaded to score the winning run.

Gavle finished the game with three hits as did Woodside. Matson had two doubles and both Anthony Tippett and Levi Langseth had a pair of hits.

The Tigers had 15 hits in the game and collected 27 in its last two.

Ignaszewski worked the final 2 2/3 innings to pick up the win on the mound without giving up a run.

Woodside

had a great game behind the plate for the Tigers and Matt Hockinson made a couple. of nice grabs in the outfield.

The Tigers split a pair of games with conference foe Winona Tuesday.

Albert Lea lost the first game 9-2 as it was held to just one hit which was collected by Mitch Wenum.

However, the Tigers responded with a 6-5 win in the second game.

Joel Eisenbraun was strong going 6 1/3 innings allowing seven hits, five runs and striking out four.

Gavle had three hits while Hockinson and Woodside had two apiece.

The Albert Lea offense woke up smashing 12 hits and scoring five times in the first three innings.

The Tigers are back in action Saturday when they travel to Rochester to face Century.

USC 14, B.P. 3

WELLS &8212; The United South Central baseball team wrapped up a very successful week Thursday with a 14-3 pounding of Blooming Prairie in five innings.

The Rebels used a seven-run third to break the game open as USC scored a total of 37 runs in three games this week.

Ned Kalis had two hits including a three-run home run in the third while Tom Voigt, Luke Beyer and Kevin George had two hits apiece. Tyler Grunzke added a three-hit night.

George picked up the win for USC allowing three runs on three hits and striking out three.

Zach Badura made a big defensive play in the outfield while Grunzke

and Eric Linde were strong up the middle.

USC is now 10-6 on the season and is at St. James Monday.

Mabel-Canton 11, G-E 3

GLENVILLE &8212; Ten errors doomed the Glenville-Emmons baseball team against Mabel-Canton Thursday as it lost 11-3.

Nine of the errors were committed in the first four innings and put G-E down 8-2.

&8220;We were down big before we ever started making plays behind our pitcher,&8221; G-E head coach Louie Toulouse said. &8220;The errors aren&8217;t due to a lack of practice, but we just don&8217;t look mentally ready to play defense.&8221;

Bridger Bjorklund had two hits for the Wolverines while Jake Kirsch, Logan Hansen, and Joe Williamson each had one.

G-E plays at Dover-Eyota today.