Errors pile up as Tigers fall 8-4 to Rockets
Published 8:21 am Monday, May 4, 2009
The bus couldn’t have left quick enough from Rochester for the Albert Lea baseball team Saturday after an 8-4 loss to John Marshall.
It was the second loss in a row the Tigers suffered against a Rochester team, Mayo beat them 8-3 on Thursday.
Once again a three-run homer spelled the end for Albert Lea. This time Matt Miller connected in the sixth inning for the Rockets to stake them to an 8-4 lead.
“The big thing was that we kept giving them opportunities,” Tigers head coach Joe Sczublewski said. “We had a few errors that allowed their inning to continue.”
Albert Lea (9-5, 8-5 Big Nine) committed a season-high five errors in the game, and against the conference-leader it was far too many.
“Against a good team you can’t keep giving them opportunities because eventually they will capitalize and that’s what happened,” Sczublewski said.
John Marshall has been an offensive power during its 11-game winning streak, outscoring opponents 109-18. The four runs Albert Lea scored Saturday were the most the Rockets have given up all season long.
Early in the game it was the Tigers who took advantage of John Marshall mistakes.
Jordan Mondeel scored on a wild pitch in the first inning and Connor Kortan drove in Logan Kortan on a sacrifice fly to take a 2-0 lead.
The Rockets (12-1, 11-1 Big Nine) came back for three runs in the bottom half and added a run in the second as they picked up their 11th straight win.
Albert Lea loaded the bases in the third inning with one out and got two runs to score to tie the game. Luke Grossman scored on a wild pitch and Logan Kortan scored when John Marshall’s catcher committed a throwing error.
The Rockets took the lead in the fifth inning when they pushed one run across to take a 5-4 lead.
The Tigers never got back on track against John Marshall starter Brian Anderson. Anderson threw a complete game five-hitter and struck out 10 Albert Lea batters in the win.
Logan Kortan went four-plus innings, giving up five runs, four earned, on seven hits. Kortan walked one and did not strike a hitter out.
The Tigers will get a reprieve from the Rochester schools and face Mankato East Tuesday and Owatonna Thursday in a doubleheader at Owatonna.
“We’re hoping to get the defense back next week.” Sczublewski said.
John Marshall 8, Albert Lea 4
Albert Lea 202 000 0 — 4 5 5
John Marshall 310 013 0 — 8 10 2
WP — Brian Anderson 7 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 10 K
LP — Logan Kortan 4 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K