Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

NORTHFIELD, Minn. – After today's doubleheader against the St. Olaf Oles, the Royals have played six conference games and have shut out the opposition in three of them. The Royals earned a split in their doubleheader by winning the first game 1-0, while the Oles managed to hang on to win 10-7 in the second game.

Travis Adams (Sr., Chanhassen, Minn.) started game one and threw six shutout innings before turning the ball over to closer Ben Turnwall (Sr., Burnville, Minn.). Turnwall walked the first two batters he faced, but then struck out the next and got a game-ending double play to preserve the victory and earn his third save of the season. Adams allowed just two hits and a walk, but struck out nine batters in his third win in as many games. For the second outing in a row, no opposing runner advanced beyond second base against Adams.

The Royals got their one and only run in the top of the fifth inning when Bob Tokar (Jr., Elk River, Minn.) led off the inning with a single to center field, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by John Slick (Jr., River Falls, Wis.), and scored on a two-out single by Tim Churchill (Jr., Mt. Prospect, Ill.).
Bethel had seven hits, with two of them for extra bases. Jay Slick (Fr., River Falls, Wis.) and Kirk Darling (So., Kalamazoo, Mich.) each had doubles in the game.

In game two, the Royals struck right away in the first inning thanks to an RBI single by Darling to score Churchill. However, St. Olaf came back and put two runs on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning and added another in the fourth before Bethel responded with a run in the top of the fifth inning. With one out, Churchill reached base on a throwing error by the second baseman. The ball skipped into the dugout, placing him on second base. After a wild pitch, Churchill came in to score on an RBI fielder's choice by reigning MIAC Player of the Week, Tim Oesterlin (Jr., Rochester, Minn.). Oesterlin had his 14-game hitting streak snapped in the first game, but returned to form by going 2-for-4 in the second game.

But for all of Bethel's efforts to at least tie the game, the Oles would push their lead out any time they felt the Royals breathing down their necks. St. Olaf tacked on two runs in the fifth and five runs in the sixth to take a 10-4 lead going into the seventh.

The Royals would not go down quietly, though. Bethel pushed three more runs across the plate before the side was finally retired. Doubles by Tokar and Erik Anderson (So., Arden Hills, Minn.) brought in two runs, while an RBI ground out by Sean Flaherty (Jr., Shoreview, Minn.) accounted for the third run.

Bethel used four pitchers in the second game. Matt Johnson (So., Vadnais Heights, Minn.) started, but was only able to last two innings on account of back problems.

The split doubleheader gives Bethel an overall record of 12-10 and a conference record of 4-2. St. Olaf is now 12-6 overall on their season, and 1-1 in the MIAC. The Royals are scheduled to take on Saint John's next, but are waiting for the field up in Collegeville, Minn., to become playable. Continue to check the Bethel athletics website for game information regarding the doubleheader against the Johnnies.