Despite producing nine hits, the Albert Lea baseball team left nine runners stranded.

A three-run seventh inning rally cut the Tigers’ deficit in half, but Albert Lea lost 9-6 Friday at Rochester Mayo.

“We had a lot of opportunities we didn’t capitalize on,” said Albert Lea coach Joe Sczublewski. “Our defense played spectacular, but we’ve got to be able to put it all together to be successful.”

After the Spartans took a two-run lead in the bottom of the first, the Tigers fought back to take a 3-2 lead.

Parker Mullenbach scored Albert Lea’s first run on a single by Alex Bledsoe in the second inning. The Tigers added two more runs in the third when a Wyatt Paulsen single drove in Jake Thompson and double by Mason Hammer scored Paulsen.

Paulsen and Chris Enderson led Albert Lea at the plate with two hits each.

Jake Kilby started the game on the mound for the Tigers. In 3 1/3 innings, he had one strikeout and allowed six hits, seven earned runs and seven walks.

Tristin Muilenburg took the hill in relief. He didn’t post a strikeout or allow a walk.

“Muilenburg pitched well again and gave us a chance to win,” Sczublewski said.

After Saturday’s game at NRHEG (6-10, 5-7 Gopher), a matchup that will count toward the Subsection 2AA South standings, Albert Lea will host Maple River (5-12, 3-7 Gopher) in another subsection game at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The Tigers have a 2-0 record in the subsection, and their ranking in Minnesota-Scores.net’s Quality Rankings Formula is No. 17. The team with the next-highest QRF in the subsection is No. 48 Waseca.