Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score

ST. PAUL, Minn. - If one could magically take away the first inning of the first game, and the second inning of the second game, Bethel would have swept Hamline today. Since that is not possible, the Royals have to accept the games as they happened and the 5-3, 13-9 losses that ensued.

In the first game, Hamline scored all of their runs in the first inning before starting pitcher Rebecca Akerson (Jr., Lakeville, Minn.) settled in and pitched shutout ball the remainder of the game. Unfortunately, the runs the Pipers scored were enough to keep Bethel at bay.

Ashley Johnsen (Sr., Maple Grove, Minn.) homered in the first inning to give Bethel one run. Three innings later Rebecca Buhr (So., Detroit Lakes, Minn.) knocked in Stephanie Vosberg (Jr., Rochester, Minn.), who led off with a double. Then, in the seventh, Lauren Habisch (Sr., Lakeville, Minn.) blasted another home run to give Bethel's offense a spark, but the effort was too little, too late as the Pipers held on to win 5-3.

In the second game, it was Bethel that took control of the scoreboard early by scoring six runs in the first two innings. The Royals got some hits, took advantage of some wild pitches and some Piper errors to take a 6-0 lead, but quickly saw that lead evaporate into the early evening breeze as Hamline scored nine runs in the second inning, and then three more in the bottom of the third.

Bethel answered back with a pair of runs in the fourth inning as Buhr batted in her second run of the game, and then tacked on another run in the top of the seventh as Kelly Berg (Jr., South Haven, Minn.) crushed her third home run of the season to right center. But much like game one, the damage had already been done, and the Royals' efforts to come back were not enough.

On the positive side, by going 4-for-8 today, Habisch has raised her batting average 36 points since Wednesday, and Buhr has increased her offensive productivity by going 5-for-11 and driving in three runs in her last four games.

The 9-15 (1-5) Royals will have just one day to gather themselves as they prepare to take on the St. Catherine Wildcats on Saturday at the Ona Orth Athletic Complex beginning at 1 p.m.