BOX SCORES: GAME ONE | GAME TWO
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The Bethel University softball squad hosted its third double-header of the week Saturday, as the Royals welcomed MIAC foe Augsburg College to Ona Orth Complex for a twin bill that was slated to begin at 1 p.m. BU let an early lead go in game one and fell in the end 4-2, but mounted a come-from-behind nine-inning victory in game two that led to a 4-3 victory.
Competition between the two opponents was incredibly close all-day and game one was a solid indication of what was to come. Bethel posted its first run in the first inning when
Rachel Gilbert (Jr., Becker, Minn.) scored, which gave the home team a 1-0 lead. Augsburg plated the equalizer in the very next half-inning and added two more between the fourth and fifth inning. Alex Thunborg (Jr., Blaine, Minn.) brought the Royals to within one with an RBI single to left field that made the score 3-2, but Augsburg added an insurance run in the seventh to help the Auggies capture a “W” in the first battle.
Thunborg was the only player to post an RBI in the first game, as the Royals only amassed four hits throughout the seven-inning competition. The pitcher
Anja Erlandson (Sr., White Bear Lake, Minn.) led the team with two hits in three plate appearances, and scored one run.
On the pitching rubber, Erlandson gave up 10 hits and two walks in seven innings of work. The complete game effort saw the hurler throw two strikeouts, but let in four runs (three earned).
The second matchup between the two teams was incredibly similar, as the Royals plated the first run of the game in the bottom of the third inning, when Kal Sorensen (Fr., Maple Grove, Minn.) drove in Gilbert on an RBI double to left center. BU couldn't hold the lead, however, as Bethel's defense surrendered a run late in the sixth inning to make the score tied at one. The outcome looked exceptionally bleak in the top of the ninth when Augsburg got a two RBI double that put the road team ahead 3-1.
Jess Newstrom (Jr., Cambridge, Minn.) became an instant hero though, when firing back instantaneously with a two-run homerun in the bottom of the ninth with no outs. The Royal's got two more runners on in the frame and scored the winning run on a squeeze play that saw Kal Sorensen lay down a bunt as the runner on third stole home.
Erlandson had another strong performance from the plate again in game two, finishing 3-for-4. Gilbert also went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. However, it was
Jess Newstrom and Kal Sorenson that plated two runs each, which enabled Bethel to split the two-game series against the Auggies.
Genna Bock (Sr., Circle Pines, Minn.) pitched the entire nine-inning complete game victory, striking out four and allowing just seven hits in the affair. Bock allowed three runs and five walks, but showed impeccable durability throughout the contest.
BU now stands at 10-20 overall and 4-8 within conference play. The softball squad will travel to St. Paul Tuesday to face Macalester in a double-header matinee.
