From the outset Monday night the American Legion baseball game between Albert Lea and Waseca didn’t have the makings of a gripping game, but the final four innings played out that way, ending in a 6-5 loss for Post 56.

Post 228 jumped out to a 3-0 lead when in the first inning when Jimmy Loonan blasted a three-run homer to give Waseca a comfortable lead. Albert Lea meanwhile couldn’t find a hit through the first three innings.

After Waseca added another run in the fourth inning, Post 56 started a rally in the bottom half of the fourth to grab a 5-4 lead.

Cody Hansen singled with one out to get things going for Albert Lea and the next two batters followed with base hits. Hansen scored when Logan Kortan singled. Post 56 loaded the bases after Joel Eisenbraun walked. Jordan Hanson followed with a walk that brought in Casey Woodside to draw the game to 4-2. Matt Jensen hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Kortan and an error by Post 228 shortstop Chris Glynn allowed two more runs to score for a 5-4 Albert Lea lead.

Eisenbraun set down the side in the fifth inning after issuing a leadoff walk and his offense tried to pad the lead in the fifth but couldn’t capitalize on a pair of two out singles by Woodside and Kortan.

“We went down swinging,” Post 56 head coach Boyd Eisenbraun said.

Eisenbraun started the sixth with a strikeout, but an error allowed Kelvin Nelson to reach first and Waseca hit a pair of doubles to regain the lead at 6-5.

There was no quit in Post 56 as it had one final opportunity to score in the seventh when Kortan was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs but Albert Lea was unable to find one more base hit to tie the game.

“You couldn’t ask for a better situation there,” Eisenbraun said. “We had the heart of our order coming up.”

Waseca 6, Albert Lea 5

Waseca – 300 102 0 – 6 8 3

Albert Lea – 000 500 0 – 5 8 1

WP – Danny Cromer 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER,

1 BB, 3 K

LP – Joel Eisenbraun 5 1/3 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER,

2 BB, 5 K