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Sports Memories by Tom Jones

10 years

• Hayley Harms went 4-for-4 at the plate and only allowed five runs on the mound as the Albert Lea Tigers softball team opened their season with an 11-5 win over Red Wing.
• The Albert Lea girls’ golf team took 10th place at a snowy Faribault Invitational. Sara Rasmussen shot a 106 to lead the Tigers with Emma Loch carding a 114.
• Jackson Goodell took first place in the 800- and 1600-meter runs for the Albert Lea boys’ track and field team at a meet in Austin. Becca Dup took first place in the girls’ meet in the 100-meter dash with a time of 13.33.

20 years

• The Albert Lea grades K-6 and 7-8 wrestling teams were hosting two Michigan state champion teams in dual meets at Albert Lea High School.
• The Glenville-Emmons softball team opened their season with a 24-3 win over Medford/Faribault Shattuck. Lindsey Lorenzen pitched a complete game, allowing no earned runs on one hit while striking out eight.
• The Albert Lea Tigers baseball team defeated Winona 7-6 to open their season 2-0. Josh Jordahl got the win in relief of starter Nick Hagen, allowing no earned runs on one hit while striking out two.

50 years

• Mike Lynn, Minnesota Vikings assistant to club president Max Winter, testified to a Minnesota senate sub-committee hearing that it would be “entirely unacceptable” for the Vikings to play at an expanded Metropolitan Stadium.
• A five-card bout at the Metropolitan Sports Center in Bloomington featured Minnesota natives Rodney Bobick and Scott LeDoux squaring off in a heavyweight boxing match.
• At the Albert Lea boys’ basketball banquet attended by 225 people at the Skyline Supper Club, Scott Johnson and Rich Wendorff were announced as captains for the next year’s team.
• Nolan Ryan struck out former Minnesota Twins slugger Harmon Killebrew four times in his debut with the Kansas City Royals as the California Angels defeated the Royals 3-2.
• The Minnesota Twins won their season opener as they defeated the Texas Rangers 11-4. Bert Blyleven picked up the win, striking out eight Rangers in six-plus innings. Tony Oliva added four RBIs.
• The Albert Lea boys’ tennis team opened their season with a 3-2 loss to Blue Earth. The doubles teams of Dennis Bergstrom and Dan Mott and Bob Shepard and Jeff Aspenson picked up the two wins for the Tigers.
• Albert Lea’s Paul Ludtke and Dave Bergstrom were captains for the Albert Lea boys’ track and field season under coach Jerry Kaphers.
• Al Batt, a member of the Hartland Jaycees was one of the organizers of a basketball benefit being played at the New Richland High School gym that was raising funds for the March of Dimes.
• Albert Lea boys’ basketball coach Orrie Jirele was slated to be the guest speaker at the Glenville sports banquet for players, cheerleaders and coaches.
• The Albert Lea girls’ swimming team defeated Rochester John Marshall 120-83 at the high school pool. Pam Knutson took first place in diving with a score of 116.30.

Alumni update

After missing most of last season after having Tommy John surgery, 2016 Albert Lea High School graduate Jake Thompson is back playing with Minor League Baseball’s Pensacola Blue Wahoos in the Class AA Southern League after a nine-month rehabilitation where he is batting .250 through nine games with four RBIs as of Friday.