Albert Lea finished 2nd after Rochester J.M. crushed Winona

The Albert Lea Tigers baseball team will have to settle for second place as the Rochester John Marshall Rockets clinched their second Big Nine Conference title in three years Thursday with a 10-0 win over Winona.

Had the Rockets lost, they, along with Albert Lea Rochester Century would have finished in a three-way tie for first.

The Tigers controlled their own destiny toward a conference championship for much of the season including as late as Monday. That’s when the Rockets completed a season sweep of the Tigers with a 12-6 win in Rochester. The Tigers lost to the Rockets 6-3 on May 12 at Hayek Park and were also swept in two games by Rochester Century. The Tigers fifth conference loss was to Owatonna.

The senior-laden Tigers were in control of the Big Nine early after winning their first six conference games. Two consecutive losses to Rochester Century on May 25 added a speed bump to the Tigers’ quest for a title but the team regrouped and won four more consecutive conference games.

Beginning on May 10, though, the Tigers lost three of their final six games with wins only against Mankato East and Austin, the league’s worst two teams.

The Tigers put the regular season behind them Saturday as they begin the Section 1AAA tournament against Winona at Hayek Field.