BOX SCORES: GAME ONE | GAME TWO

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The Royals traveled to St. Joseph, Minn. to take on the Blazers of the College of Saint Benedict in a MIAC double-header Thursday, but came away empty-handed as Bethel was swept by scores of 3-4 and 4-11 in the seven-inning contests.
 
The first game came down to the final hit, as the Royals surrendered a walk-off three-run homerun to the Blazers in the bottom of the 10th inning, which sealed the one-run loss. BU scored first in the second inning when Rachel Gilbert (Jr., Becker, Minn.) smeared the ball over the left field fence for her second homerun of the season. CSB later evened the score in the bottom of the third, however, neither team scored in the next six innings. Each pitcher had been sensational throughout the entire game, yet the tenth inning exposed both hurlers. In the top half of the inning the Blazers Rachel Nelson allowed two runs to score, as both Alexandra Thunburg (Jr., Blaine, Minn.) and Tara Schinke (So., Long Lake, Minn.) delivered RBI hits that gave Bethel a 3-1 lead. Saint Benedict was equally impressive with its bats in the bottom of the innings, as the Blazers managed to get two runners on for Lexi Alm, who hit the walk-off slam that allowed CSB to capture a win in game one.
 
Angie Jackson (Fr., Oakdale, Minn.) was nearly flawless at the plate, tallying three hits in four at-bats, while Thunburg finished 2-for-5.
 
Genna Bock toed the pitching rubber in the first of the twin bill, striking out six and walking just three in the 9.1 innings pitched. Bock allowed just seven hits and two earned runs in the extra-inning competition.
 
Saint Benedict rode its momentum out early in the second game, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning to go ahead 3-0. The Royals fought back, scoring four runs between the third and fourth inning to go ahead 4-3, but the Blazers lit up the scoreboard with seven runs in the bottom of the fourth, pushing its lead to 10-4. Alm hit another homer for CSB in the fifth to cap off an 11-4 win.
 
Cristina Masten (So., Fergus Falls, Minn.) had a solid effort in the second matchup, going 1-for-3 with a double that scored two in the third inning. Britni Balzer (So., Gladwin, Mich.) finished with two hits in three at-bats, plating and scoring a run. The pitcher Anja Erlandson (Sr., White Bear Lake, Minn.) drew two walks and drove in Bethel's fourth run of the game on a single.
 
From the pitching circle Erlandson allowed eight earned runs, striking out one and walking one in the effort. Courtney Saurer (Fr., Chanhassen, Minn.) finished the final two innings in relief, striking out two and walking zero batters.
 
With the loss, BU drops to 7-17 on the season, whereas Saint Benedict improves to 14-6. The Royals will be back in action Tuesday, April 11 at home against MIAC foe St. Catherine University in a double-header scheduled for 3:30 p.m.