96th Article at the Independent

SECTION 2AAA BASEBALL: No. 3 Marshall falls to No. 6 Albert Lea in Section 2AAA opener, 4-2

CHRIS DRUMMOND cdrummond@marshallindependent.com

MARSHALL — When the Marshall baseball team faced Albert Lea just 11 days ago, it was able to get a good start offensively while also keeping Albert Lea from scoring in a 4-0 win. On Wednesday, the two teams met again, this time with No. 3 Marshall hosting No. 6 seed Albert Lea in the opening round of the Section 2AAA tournament. Albert Lea was able to flip the script, capitalizing on five Marshall errors to earn a 4-2 victory at Legion Field.

Albert Lea got on the board early with a run and held a Marshall batting lineup to just two hits through six innings. The fifth inning proved to be the difference, as Marshall would commit two of its errors in that inning allowing two runs to be scored by Albert Lea as they extended their lead to 4-0.

Marshall would make a late rally, though, with starting pitcher and first baseman Charlie Jacobson smoking a line drive RBI single to trim the deficit to three. Jacobson would have three hits on the day and added eight strikeouts in five innings of work. Marshall would also add a sacrifice fly by designated hitter Lincoln Graven that was hit deep to center field, making it a 4-2 ballgame. However, that was as close as Marshall would get and Albert Lea completed the upset on the road, winning 4-2.

Marshall head coach Chace Pollock spoke on the loss and the message to the team moving forward in the tournament.

“That three-run inning they had was the difference in the game and we had our chances, just didn’t make the plays defensively,” Pollock said. “We got beat by a better team today. The message is pitching and defense, we’ve got to be better in those areas if we want to advance.”

Marshall (12-8) will now head to the elimination bracket of the Section 2AAA tournament, where they will face off against No. 7 St. Peter High School on Saturday at Johnson Park in New Ulm at 2 p.m., with the winner playing again at 5 p.m.

Albert Lea 001 030 0 – 4

Marshall 000 000 2 – 2

Hitting: Marshall (Jacobson 3-4, RBI; Neubeck 1-3; Wallen 1-3).

Pitching (IP-R-ER-H-BB-SO): Marshall (Jacobson 5-4-1-8-1-8; Wallen 2-0-0-2-1-1).