At the pinnacle of the Albert Lea baseball team’s rally, Chris Enderson delivered.

After trailing 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Tigers (8-7, 4-4 Big Nine) completed a comeback with six unanswered runs.

Enderson bashed a two-run walk-off homer over the 323-foot sign in left field to cement Albert Lea’s 8-7 win over Mankato East (7-7, 3-5 Big Nine) Thursday in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Hayek Field.

“That was an exciting way to win a game,” said Albert Lea coach Joe Sczublewski. “The kids never quit. They just kept battling and hit the ball real hard.”

Enderson rounded the bases and was met by his teammates and coaches at the plate.

“It was the best feeling I’ve ever really had,” said Enderson. “It was just a fastball up, the first pitch in my at-bat.”

In Game 2, the Tigers loaded the bases in the sixth inning with a six-run deficit but left their runners stranded in an 11-5 loss.

Although the doubleheader was split, Game 1 counted toward the Big Nine Conference standings and Game 2 did not.

Both games were learning experiences for Albert Lea’s infield because veteran second baseman E.J. Thomas was in the batting order but did not play in the infield because of a shoulder injury, Sczublewski said.

In Game 1, the Tigers had six errors but cut a five-run fifth-inning deficit to four. Alex Bledsoe singled and scored on a bloop to right field by Jake Thompson.

“Once I hit that single, I knew we were coming back,” Bledsoe said. “Then Chris hit that bomb, and everyone went insane. It was a fun first game.”

Before Enderson’s two-run shot, Albert Lea added three runs in the sixth. Wyatt Paulsen hit a lead-off double and scored on a double by Parker Mullenbach. Mason Hammer followed with a slow roller down the third-base line for a base hit, and Bledsoe bashed a line-drive up the middle to score Mullenbach and Hammer.

To set up the game-winning hit, Thompson hit a lead-off double.

Tristin Muilenburg earned the pitching win for Albert Lea. In two innings, he faced seven batters and allowed one hit.

“He’s an excellent relief pitcher,” Sczublewski said. “His style is difficult for some hitters to face, and he mixes up his pitches really well.”

In Game 2, Albert Lea jumped to a 3-1 first-inning lead on a three-RBI double by Mason Hammer. Mankato East erased its deficit and took a three-run advantage in the fourth.

Albert Lea scored two runs in the fifth but the rally fell short.

Sam Moyer and Taylor Heavner took the mound and gave up a combined 12 hits.

Next, Albert Lea will host Winona (4-8, 2-4 Big Nine) at 5 p.m. Tuesday.