One inning was the difference for the Albert Lea softball team Monday at Mankato East.

The Tigers’ defense, led by pitcher Haley Harms, held the Cougars scoreless in six of seven innings. However, seven runs — all scored in the bottom of the second inning — propelled Mankato East to a 7-2 win over Albert Lea.

“They had an inning where they led off with a triple, followed by a double, a home run and a few singles,” said Albert Lea coach Dan Harms. “They just got on a role, and we had a little trouble stopping the bleeding.”

Albert Lea’s pair of runs were scored in the top of the fourth, coach Harms said. Lynzee Underdahl led off with a double, and a hit by Veronica Silva advanced her to third. Underdahl scored on a single by Kassi Hardies. After a wild pitch, Hardies advanced to third base and scored on a double by Caycee Gilbertson.

The Tigers had six hits, and the Cougars had 13. Coach Harms said his team played well at the plate, but the ball flew directly to defenders on multiple occasions.

“We weren’t swinging and missing or taking bad swings,” he said. “We were just hitting a lot of balls right to them.”

Next, Albert Lea will attempt to sweep the regular-season series against Owatonna at 5 p.m. today at Albert Lea’s Hammer Complex. The Tigers won their season opener on April 10 at Owatonna 7-2 when Hardies hit a grand slam that was followed by another home run by Haley Schroader.

Statistics are in the Scoreboard: May 5 post.