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Sports Memories by Tom Jones

15 years

• The Alden Blackhawks fastpitch softball team picked up a 6-5 win over the Winona Winstars in the first game of a doubleheader. Lana Howe pitched five innings to get the win and also drove in three runs with a double. The Winstars had come into the game with a 42-8 record.
• The Albert Lea American Legion baseball team won its second consecutive game as they defeated Rochester 11-9 in eight innings to end their regular season. Joel Eisenbraun picked up the win in relief.
• Megan Pulley of Albert Lea won the girls’ 12- to 13-year-old division of the Stadheim Jewelers Junior Golf Classic played at Green Lea Golf Course. Craig Phillips won in the boys’ division.
• The Albert Lea Knights youth baseball program was hosting try-outs for 7-, 8- and 9-year-olds at Snyder Fields.

  20 years

• In a swap of outfielders, the Minnesota Twins acquired Shannon Stewart from the Toronto Blue Jays for Bobby Kielty.
• Donald Graves pitched a complete game to lead the Albert Lea VFW baseball team to a 6-3 victory over the Rochester Knights in the opening round of the Western Division play-offs.
• Albert Lea’s Sophie Miller earned a first-place finish at the Elks District Soccer Shoot in Rochester to qualify her for a second straight trip to the Elks State Soccer Shoot.
• Defending champions Chris Baas and Virginia Hanson were once again favorites at the Green Lea Golf Course Club Championship.

50 years

• Paul Woodside went three-for-three as the Yankees defeated the Orioles 4-0 in Brookside Cub baseball. Jeff Stegenga picked up the win on the mound with Darris Porter taking the loss.
• Albert Lea’s Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler Gary Neist signed a contract with District 241 to be the head gymnastics coach for the Tigers and a full-time substitute teacher.
• Minnesota Twins pitcher Bert Blyleven was selected by manager Dick Williams to play for the American League in the MLB All-Star Game that was being played in Kansas City.
• The YMCA Little League was having an all-star game that was being played at Hayek Field. Dick Montei, coach of the Heilman Oil team was at the helm for the American League with Mick Kenis, coach of Country Kitchen piloting the National League.
• Jake’s Pizza won the right to represent Albert Lea in the state women’s softball tournament with a victory over the Aragon Rockettes. Margaret Bennett was the winning pitcher with Barb Willmert taking the loss.
• Phil Hanson of Albert Lea shot a hole-in-one on the 189-yard third hole at the Holiday Park Golf Course in Hayward.
• Darrel Munson hurled a one-hitter as Hayward defeated Kasson 6-1 in South Border baseball play. With the win, the team stood at 11-5 on the year.

Alumni update

Bill Dress, an Albert Lea High School graduate from the class of 1978, along with his wife, Gina, have twin daughters that are making a name for themselves in high school basketball.

Ashlyn and Dylyn Dress will be juniors this fall at Kennewick High School in Washington. They also have played on the UnderArmour circuit the past three years where they have won the tournament in July of 2021 and July of 2023.

Dress was inducted in to the ALHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2021.