The Tigers softball team beat Byron on Monday 8-6 on the road.

Kassie Hardies hit a home run, Anna Anderson was 3-3 with three runs and Dom Villarreal and Caycee Gilbertson each had two RBIs.

According to Tigers coach Dan Harms, the game against Byron was the first time the Tigers have played errorless ball all season.

“We’ve started to clean up our defense and good things are happening,” Harms said.

The game was tied at 3-3 after the sixth inning., but the Tigers scored five runs in the top of the seventh.

“We had timely hitting and we just lit things up,” Harms said. “That was huge.”

Harms said Vanessa Anderson acted as Byron’s entire team as she hit a two-run home run in the third and a three-run home run in the seventh in addition to pitching all seven innings.

The game against Byron was the conclusion of a tournament that started in St. Clair on April 21.

After the Tigers beat Triton and Byron beat St. Clair, the games were rained out.

Harms said Monday’s game was a nice warm up for sections on Wednesday.

The Tigers will play Northfield at 3:30 p.m. in Hastings.

The winner will play Hastings in the second round.

 

Albert Lea 8, Byron 6

 

Albert Lea 000 102 5

Byron 102 000 3

 

WP — Haley Harms (AL) 7 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO, 1 WP, 1 HBP, 2 HR

LP — Vanessa Anderson (B) 7 IP, 12 H, 8 R, 7 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR

 

Albert Lea hitting: Anna Anderson 3-3, 3 R, 3 SB; Taylor Thompson 1-3; Kassie Hardies 1-3, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR; Dom Villarreal 1-4, 2 RBI; Claire Buendorf 3-4; Erin Everhard 0-3, 1 RBI; Harms 2-4; Lindsey Reim 0-2; Caycee Gilbertson 1-3, 2 RBI, 3B