Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

NORTHFIELD, Minn. - The Bethel Royals saw their five-game winning streak come to an end today against the St. Olaf Oles as they were defeated 8-3 and 11-8.

In the first game, the Royals came from behind to score two runs in the top of the third to take a 2-1 lead. After Bjorn Anderson (Sr., Arden Hills, Minn.) drew a leadoff walk and Tim Oesterlin (Sr., Rochester, Minn.) was hit by a pitch, Jay Slick (So., River Falls, Wis.) hit his third triple of the season to score both runners.

However, Bethel's lead was all too brief. The Oles scored a run in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game before the Royals briefly regained the lead in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded, Jay Slick grounded out, allowing Esteban Abbey (Fr., Chicago, Ill.), who singled to lead off the inning, to score.

Unfortunately, St. Olaf tied the game again in the bottom of the fifth, then opened the game up by scoring five runs in the bottom of the sixth on the way to an 8-3 defeat of the Royals.

In addition to being hit twice, Oesterlin was 2-for-2 with a double and run scored. John Slick (Sr., River Falls, Wis.) also had a pair of hits and a stolen base in the effort.

The second game seemingly picked up where the first one left off as both teams scored early and often. The Royals drew first blood as Oesterlin walked and later came around to score on a wild pitch. The Oles countered with two runs of their own before Bethel exploded for five runs in the top of the second to take a 6-2 lead, albeit for a very short amount of time. Bethel's second inning was highlighted by Oesterlin stealing home, RBI singles from Jay Slick and Erik Anderson (Jr., Arden Hills, Minn.), as well as an RBI triple from John Slick.

Not to be outdone, St. Olaf answered with two runs in the bottom of the second, then four runs in the bottom of the third to take an 8-6 lead. The Oles added three more runs to their lead in the bottom of the fifth and sixth innings before Bethel staged a mini-comeback in the top of the seventh by scoring two runs thanks to an RBI triple by Bob Tokar (Sr., Elk River, Minn.) followed by a Sean Flaherty (Sr., Shoreview, Minn.) single. 

The losses set Bethel back to 14-14 overall and 2-8 in the MIAC, while St. Olaf improves to 16-14 overall and 7-3 in the conference. The Royals are scheduled to come back home to face Gustavus this Saturday beginning at 1 p.m. at Hargis Park for their next games.