Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - The Bethel Royals split their conference doubleheader with the Saint Mary's Cardinals today. Bethel won the first game 7-5 behind an insurance two-run home run by Tim Churchill (Jr., Mt. Prospect, Ill.) in the bottom of the sixth inning. In game two, Chris Dent (So., Marietta, Ohio) pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings, but the damage had already been done. Despite a two-run homer by Jay Slick (Fr., River Falls, Wis.), the Royals were unsuccessful in their bid to sweep the Cardinals and fell by a score of 6-3.

After scoring just one run in two games against Augsburg, Bethel put three runs on the scoreboard before the first inning was over in game one. A bases loaded walk, followed by RBI singles from Ryan Doheny (Sr., Anoka, Minn.) and Bob Tokar (Jr., Elk River, Minn.) gave starting pitcher Kyle McCracken (Jr., Johnston, Iowa) some breathing room to go out and hold the Cardinals at bay. Doheny helped the Royals add to their lead in the third inning when he singled home John Slick (Jr., River Falls, Wis.), who led off with a double.

McCracken all but breezed through five innings before Saint Mary's finally got to him in the top of the sixth inning. Pete Anderson (Jr., Bloomington, Minn.) came on in relief and finished out the game for his first collegiate save, despite running into a rough patch himself. Fortunately for Anderson, the Royals gave him some insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning thanks to Churchill's home run - his second in his last five games.

In game two, the Royals scored first again when Tim Oesterlin (Jr., Rochester, Minn.) came in on a wild pitch after having singled and advancing on a stolen base and a ground out. Unfortunately, Saint Mary's put together a two-out rally in the top of the second to erase Bethel's lead. The Cardinals scored four runs on five hits off of starting pitcher Matt Johnson (So., Vadnais Heights, Minn.) before the Royals got a chance to come back.

Bethel narrowed its deficit to just a single run in the bottom of the third inning when lefthanded hitting Jay Slick (Fr., River Falls, Wis.) hit a two-run home run to the opposite field. For Slick, the homer was his fourth of the season and third in his last six games.

But just as Bethel had taken two steps forward, Saint Mary's pushed them two steps, rather, two runs back by scoring a pair in the top of the fourth inning. Dent came on in relief and allowed just one hit while striking out one during his stint, which lasted from the fourth inning until the end of the game.

The split gives Bethel an overall record of 16-16 on the season, and 7-7 in MIAC play, while the win for Saint Mary's is its first in conference play in 14 chances. the Royals are scheduled to head up to Concordia-Moorhead on Tuesday, April 21, for their next games, which will begin at 2:30. Continue to check the Bethel athletics website if there are any changes to that game due to weather or unplayable conditions.