An avalanche of scoring began with two outs in the bottom of the second inning, and the Albert Lea baseball team snapped a 10-game skid with its most dominant performance of the season.

The Tigers defeated NRHEG 17-0 Wednesday at Hayek Park.

“It’s nice to have this going into sections,” said Albert Lea center fielder Wyatt Paulsen. “We were making contact and putting it in play.”

Albert Lea posted 13 hits, three fewer than its season-high Tuesday in a 6-5 home loss against Rochester John Marshall. Paulsen led the way by going 3-for-4 with a triple, three runs scored, four RBIs and a stolen base.

Through the top of the second inning, NRHEG had the upper hand. Albert Lea pitcher Taylor Heavner stranded two Panther baserunners in the top of the first, and after the Tigers went down in order in the bottom of the first, he had to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the second. Paulsen made a diving grab in center field to get Albert Lea out of the inning.

“That was the biggest play of the game,” said Albert Lea coach Joe Sczublewski. “It was a shoe-string catch, and that’s two runs if he doesn’t catch that.”

The Tigers’ scoring in the bottom of the second started with a double by Kole Smith to drive in Parker Mullenbach, a play that had the first of four NRHEG errors in the inning.

“We’ve got to do a better job of helping our pitcher out,” said NRHEG head coach Pat Churchill. “The first inning he (Carson Field) pitched really well, and I thought he was dialed in in the second inning. We just gave them seven outs that inning.”

By the time Johnathan Fleek took the batter’s box, the bases were loaded with two outs. He stepped to the plate and hit a bases-clearing double over the glove of the Panthers’ center fielder.

“It was the third pitch — a fastball down the middle,” Fleek said. “Everyone’s hitting the ball, making plays in the field and our pitching is throwing strikes. We’re playing good all around.”

Sczublewski said Fleek’s hit was one of the plays that set the tone for the rest of the afternoon.

“That broke it open,” he said. “It was a big sign of relief for our guys. It was nice to get a little cushion.”

The Tigers added three more runs in the bottom of the second. Fleek scored on a line-drive to right field by Paulsen, Jake Thompson scored on a wild pitch and Paulsen stole home. NRHEG’s starting pitcher got out of the inning with a strikeout.

In the bottom of the third, Albert Lea picked up where it left off with six more runs. Fleek nearly hit a home run — it sailed a yard left of the foul pole in left field and hit a car in the parking lot — but he ended up with a hit to score pinch-runner Tyler Steele later in his at-bat. The Tigers continued to cruise in the fourth inning by adding four more runs.

Heavner led the Tigers from the mound. He struck out six batters and gave up four hits and no walks or runs.

“Taylor Heavner threw a nice game,” Sczublewski said. “He made them put the ball in play.”

NRHEG’s Dakota Thiele and Noah Krell each had two hits.

Albert Lea (5-13 overall, 3-13 Big Nine Conference) is the No. 3 seed in the Subsection 2AA South tournament. The Tigers will host Waseca — the No. 6 seed (4-14 overall, 1-9 South Central Conference) — at 1 p.m. Saturday. Albert Lea played at Waseca April 19 and won 5-3.

“We can’t take them too lightly,” Paulsen said. “They had a no-hitter going against us into the fourth the first time, so we have to hit the ball. If we do that, good things will happen.”

NRHEG (4-9 overall, 4-5 Gopher Conference) is the No. 7 seed in the Subsection 2AA South tournament. The Panthers will play Tri-City United — the No. 2 seed (8-11 overall, 6-8 Minnesota River Conference) — at 1 p.m. at Montgomery.

“We played our worst game of the year today, by far,” Churchill said. “We have two days to right the ship.”

Statistics are in the Scoreboard: May 21 post.