Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - Bethel bounced back from a 11-5 loss in game one to defeat Concordia in game two 7-3, thus earning a split with the Cobbers and notching the first conference win of the season.

Game one did not start off in the Royals' favor as the Cobbers tagged starting pitcher Rebecca Akerson (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.) with four runs in the first and quickly put up three more off of reliever Nea Harkness (Sr., Winthrop, Minn.) in the second.

Down but not out, the Royals used a big inning of their own in the bottom of the third to claw their way back into the game, scoring five runs of their own, bringing the game back in reach at 7-5. Highlights of the inning included a Kelly Berg (Jr., South Haven, Minn.) triple, a Lauren Habisch (Sr., Apple Valley, Minn.) two-RBI double, and an Ashley Lindberg (Sr., Sartell, Minn.) two-RBI single. Unfortunately for the Royals, they were never able to muster up any more of a comeback, and the Cobbers added four insurance runs late in the game to seal the win.

Another bright note for the Royals in game one was Randi Thompson (Jr., Blaine, Minn.) who provided five solid innings of relief, allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out seven.

Game two saw the Royals fall behind 2-0 after the top of the first inning, but quickly erased that deficit with four runs of their own in the home half of the first. That would be all the Royals would need in game two as the Cobbers would only score once more off of starting pitcher Charitey Rowden (Sr., Shellsburg, Iowa), who finished the complete game effort for her fourth win of the year. For good measure, the Royals tacked on three more runs in the sixth, sealing the deal and the 7-3 win - their first of the conference season. Ashley Johnsen (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) led the Royals at the plate in game two finishing 3-for-4 with a RBI. Berg added two more hits of her own, raising her season average to a team-best .406, also good for eighth in the conference.

With the split today, the Royals move to 9-13 overall and 1-3 in MIAC play, while the Cobbers move to 4-15 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Royals will be back in action Thursday, April 8, at 4 p.m. as they head down the road to visit the Hamline Pipers.