Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - On a great day for a baseball doubleheader, the Bethel Royals took the field against the visiting Gustavus Gusties for a conference doubleheader. By the end of the afternoon, the two teams had played 20 innings of baseball - the equivalent of two nine inning games, and then some - each team garnering a win in one of the games. Bethel blanked Gustavus 3-0 behind the pitching of Travis Adams (Sr., Chanhassen, Minn.) and solid defense. The second half of the twinbill was a 13-inning marathon that saw the Royals lose 4-2 in heartbreaking fashion.

Adams took to the hill in game one and scattered four hits and three strikeouts over seven innings for his fifth win of the season. Unlike his last two outings, baserunners actually advanced past second base, forcing the lefthander to pitch out of jams in the second and sixth innings. Adams got some great defensive help behind him, including a catch at the warning track to end the game. The Royals gave Adams all he would need in the first inning as Bethel scored three times, highlighted by a two-out, two RBI base hit by Bob Tokar (Jr., Elk River, Minn.).

Gustavus pitcher Brandon Knoll went the distance as well, allowing the three runs on seven hits in six innings of work. He walked three, hit two, and struck out two Bethel batters.

In the second game, ghosts of last year's 13-inning game against St. Olaf lingered around Hargis Park, though there was no phantom home run this time around. Gustavus did hit a legitimate home run off of starter Kyle McCracken (Jr., Johnston, Iowa) for their second run in the third inning, but after that, McCracken shut the door for the next eight consecutive innings, allowing the Royals to tie the game. McCracken was also the benefactor of some fantastic defense. In his 11 innings of work, the Royal defense made some diving catches and made some spectacular plays in the infield, including an inning-ending, rally killing double play in the top of the ninth inning. The junior righthander allowed two runs on six hits and walked three batters, but struck out five. One of those walks was an intentional walk to load the bases in the ninth, thus yielding the double play.

Bethel scored its first run in the bottom of the third inning with two outs as Mark Therrien (Jr., Spring Lake Park, Minn.) singled, followed by an RBI double by Erik Anderson (So., Arden Hills, Minn.), scoring Therrien from first base. The Royals then tied the game with an RBI single by Tim Churchill (Jr., Mt. Prospect, Ill.) to score Bjorn Anderson (Jr., Arden Hills, Minn.), who had doubled.

Gustavus scored two runs in the top of the 13th inning, which proved to be the undoing of the Royals, even though Bethel put runners on second and third base with just one out in the bottom half of the inning. Gusties starting pitcher Cody Sukalski matched McCracken's effort by pitching 11 innings as well, though his pitch count was significantly hgher, hovering around the 175 mark.

With the split, Behtel is now 14-12 overall and 6-4 at the halfway point of the conference schedule. Gustavus moves to 12-12 overall and 5-3 in the conference. The Royals are scheduled to stay at home for their next doubleheader, which is Tuesday, April 14, beginning at 2:30 p.m. against Northwestern College.