The opportunities were plentiful for the Albert Lea baseball team Tuesday against Faribault, but capitalizing on them wasn’t as easy for the Tigers.

Albert Lea split a doubleheader with the Falcons in Faribault, losing the first game 6-5, but winning the second game 6-5 in eight innings.

The Tigers stranded 21 runners in the two games and left the bases loaded three times in the first game.

It cost Albert Lea the first game and nearly cost them the second.

“We had so many opportunities to break the game open but we didn’t capitalize,” said Albert Lea head coach Joe Sczublewski.

Both games were back-and-forth affairs. In the first game the Tigers took a 5-4 lead in the top of the seventh, but Adam Jensen won the game for Faribault in the bottom half with a walk-off single with two outs.

After battling back from being down 3-2, Albert Lea tied the game in the sixth with a two-out single by Connor Kortan.

The Tigers took the lead in the top of the seventh when Jordan Cooper connected for a two-out RBI single, but Faribault was able to rally in the final frame for the victory.

Jensen was a tough out the entire night. He finished with four hits in the doubleheader and walked three times.

The Tigers (4-1, 3-1) needed stellar pitching and timely hitting in the second game to pull out an extra-inning win.

In the seventh inning Cody Hansen pitched out of a bases-loaded jam when he got a groundout and a strikeout to end the threat.

“He’s been working hard and he took advantage of his opportunity and he did very well,” Sczublewski said. “He really battled out there.”

Jordan Mondeel drove in the game-winning run in the eighth inning to lift Albert Lea to a 6-5 victory. It was the second time that Mondeel has helped the Tigers to a win against Faribault. Last season Mondeel helped beat the Falcons when he delivered a game-winning single with the bases loaded.

Albert Lea pounded out 12 hits in the game and Hansen picked up the win in relief.

Hansen threw three innings, allowed one run on two hits and struck out four.

Aaron Klatt went 3-for-4 with an RBI in the second game and Cooper went 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Game 1

Faribault 6, Albert Lea 5

Albert Lea 200 011 1 — 5 8 2

Faribault 120 010 2 — 6 8 2

WP — Evan Knudson 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 K

LP — Aaron Klatt 5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

Game 2

Albert Lea 6, Faribault 5, 8 innings

Albert Lea 101 002 11 — 6 12 1

Faribault 020 020 10 — 5 5 2

WP — Cody Hansen 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K,

LP — Joe Klapp 8 IP, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 K