Mankato West pitcher Nikki Starkson was nearly perfect Thursday in a 10-0, six-inning victory over the Albert Lea softball team in Mankato.

Starkson struck out 13, walked none and did not give up a hit. Her defense, however, committed one error and left her just shy of a perfect game.

“She was snapping it a lot better and her changeup was real effective,” said Tigers head coach Dan Harms.

The eighth-ranked Scarlets (11-1, 9-0 Big Nine) won for the eighth consecutive game and jumped ahead of Albert Lea (1-13-1, 0-11-1 Big Nine) with a five-run first inning.

“It was pretty obvious we weren’t really ready to play ball from the get-go,” Harms said.

Mankato West 10, Albert Lea 0, 6 innings

Albert Lea 000 000 x —  0 0 2

Mankato West 501 103 x — 10 7 1

WP—Nikki Starkson 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 13 K

LP—Lana Howe 4 IP, 3 H, 7 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 1 K