Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall third baseman Kinsley Bitker makes a throw to first during a prep softball game against Tri-City United at the Marshall Softball Complex on May 8. Marshall took on Worthington in the first round of the Section 2AAA tournament on Thursday, falling 12-2 at Caswell Park in North Mankato.

NORTH MANKATO — Early errors were the story of the game in the No. 6 Marshall softball team’s Section 2AAA tournament opener against No. 3 Mankato West on Thursday at Caswell Park. The Tigers jumped ahead with a pair of runs in the top of the first, but fell behind due to five errors in the bottom of the frame and never recovered, falling 12-2 in five innings.

The Tigers take on No. 7 Albert Lea in the consolation bracket at 7 p.m. The game was still in progress at the time of print, and coverage of it will be available on the Independent’s website.

Natalya Reed drew a walk and scored the game’s first run when Bailynn Parsons reached on an error with two outs in the top of the first. Kinsley Bitker drove in Parsons with an RBI double, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead, but Marshall’s bats went silent for the remainder of the game.

In the bottom of the frame, Marshall committed errors on each of the first four at-bats of the inning to give the Scarlets three runs to take the lead. A single put runners on the corners before Alisa Moen came up with a strikeout to get the first out of the inning, but one run scored on a ground out and another scored on a fifth Marhall error before a pop out ended the frame. Marshall committed a total of seven errors in the game to Mankato West’s two.

Bitker led Marshall at the plate with a double and an RBI in the game. Taylor Frana, Moen and Brynlee Dieken each also singled.

Moen was charged with the loss on the mound after allowing six earned runs and five unearned runs over three innings. She gave up 10 hits with a strikeout and no walks.

Mankato West pulled away further with three third-inning runs and four more in the fourth. Defensively, the Scarlets retired each of Marshall’s final five batters and nine of the final 10, the exception coming on a Sacrlet error in the fourth.

Sara Dallmann gave up one earned run on two hits in one inning of relief.

Marshall falls to 5-16 with the loss.

BATTING

N. Reed: 0-1, BB, R; B. Parsons: 0-3, R; K. Bitker: 1-2 (2B), RBI; T. Frana: 1-2, A. Moen: 1-2; B. Dieken: 1-2.

PITCHING

A. Moen: L, 3 IP, 10 H, 11 R, 6 ER, SO. S. Dallmann: IP, 2 H, R, ER, SO.