Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

FT. MYERS, Fla. - Bethel took to the baseball field for the first time in more than 10 days and got back on the winning track by sweeping the two-game series against the University of Scranton 14-13 in eight innings, and 6-4.

In the first game, the Bethel Royals had to dig themselves out of a 4-1 hole, and did so by scoring four runs in the bottom of the third inning. Back-to-back-to-back RBI doubles by Tim Oesterlin (Sr., Rochester, Minn.), Jay Slick (So., River Falls, Wis.), and Erik Anderson (Jr., Arden Hills, Minn.) gave Bethel a one-run lead, only to see that lead erased by a three-run fourth inning from the Scranton Royals.

Bethel was quick to answer, coming back with an additional four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, highlighted by an RBI triple from Tim Churchill (Sr., Mt. Prospect, Ill.) and another RBI double from Jay Slick.

After a relatively quiet fifth inning, in which Bethel scored thanks to a bases loaded walk to Jay Slick, Scranton came back to hang six runs on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning to make the score 13-10 in favor of the Royals. Which ones? Unfortunately, not our beloved BU team.

Bethel narrowed the gap in the bottom of the sixth inning by scoring a pair of runs off of RBI singles from Bob Tokar (Sr., Elk Grove, Minn.) and Mark Therrien (Sr., Spring Lake Park, Minn.).

Now in the seventh inning, reliever Jesse Nickols (Fr., Arden Hills, Minn.) hung a pair of Scranton runners out to dry in scoring position, giving Bethel a chance to tie and/or win the game in the bottom of the inning. Bethel took advantage of a Jay Slick single followed by three hit batters in a row to get Slick in and tie the game. After Nickols left two more runners in scoring position in the top of the eighth, Bethel scored the winning run in almost the same manner they scored the tying run - by taking advantage of wild pitching.

With one out, Churchill walked and then advanced to third on an error by the pitcher. An intentional walk to Oesterlin led to a stolen base for him, which led to another intentional walk for Jay Slick. That allowed Esteban Abbey (Fr., Chicago, Ill.) to be the hero of the first game as he drew a walk to bring in the winning run in a 14-13 win for the Royals ... Bethel's Royals, that is.

In game two, Bethel jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead in the first inning, thanks in part to a 2-RBI double from John Slick (Sr., River Falls, Wis.). Scranton scored an unearned run off of starting pitcher Kyle McCracken (Sr., Johnston, Iowa) in the bottom of the second inning, but from that point on, the right-hander mixed speeds and kept the (other) Royals off balance, limiting them to just two hits in five innings of work. McCracken is now 2-0 on the season.

Bethel put another three runs on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning with one of those runs coming by way of Churchill stealing home.

John Slick came on in relief of Matt Rowley (Fr., Minnetonka, Minn.) and pitched an inning and two-thirds to pick up his first save of the season. Slick struck out three of the five batters he faced.

With the wins, Bethel improves to 4-3 overall. The team will have Sunday off before returning to the ballpark to take on SUNY Plattsburgh in a doubleheader on Monday morning, which is schedule to begin at 10 a.m. Eastern time (9 a.m. Central).