Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall's Taylor Frana rounds third base during a Big South Conference softball game against Waseca, May 2 in Marshall. The Tigers took on seventh-seeded Albert Lea in the 2AAA tournament elimination bracket on Friday in North Mankato, falling 9-2.

NORTH MANKATO — The Marshall softball team wasn’t able to bounce back from its opening-round loss in its elimination bracket game against Albert Lea on Thursday. After falling to No. 3 Mankato West in the opening round, the No. 6 Marshall Tigers got off to a hot start against the No. 7 Albert Lea Tigers, but Marshall’s offense fell flat late as it lost 9-2 to close out its season.

Marshall finishes its season at 5-17, marking a five-win improvement from a season prior. The Tigers graduate just one senior, Alissa Moen.

Jennifer Lee and Sara Dallmann each singled to put runners on the corners with one out in the top of the first, and Bailynn Parsons capitalized with a two-run single to give the Tigers the game’s first runs.

Marshall finished the first inning with three hits and a walk, equalling its production of three hits and a walk over the final six combined innings. The Tigers did not score after the first.

Albert Lea tied the game up in the top of the second, with runs scoring on an RBI single and a two-out error. An inning later, Albert Lea strung together a double, four singles and a sacrifice fly consecutively to add another four runs to its lead.

Moen was charged with the loss on the mound, surrendering five earned runs on six hits and a walk over three innings. Dallmann pitched the final four innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits and a walk.

Kinsley Bitker was the lone Tiger to reach base multiple times, logging a single and a walk. Each of Marshall’s six hits on the day were singles, while three of Albert Lea’s 12 were doubles.

Albert Lea tacked on two more insurance runs in the fifth and another in the sixth.

BOX SCORE

BATTING

J. Lee: 1-4, R, SB, 2 SO; S. Dallmann: 1-4, R; B. Parsons: 1-4, 2 RBI; K. Bitker: 1-2, BB; A. Moen: 1-2, SO; J. Morgan: 1-3, 2 SO; B. Dieken: 0-2, BB, SB, SO.

PITCHING

A. Moen: L, 3 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, BB, 2 SO; S. Dallmann: 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, BB, SO.