Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
NORTHFIELD, Minn. – After opening the MIAC regular season with a 4-0 conference record, the Royals anticipated its road trip to Northfield, Minn. for its twin-bill against the Oles Saturday. St Olaf put a chink in BU's armor with a 8-7 victory in game one, however, Bethel composed a 5-3 come-from-behind victory in game two to split the series.
Saturday's first contest fit the phrase “too little too late,” as the Royals four runs in the sixth and seventh innings weren't enough to overtake the home team in the opener. Bethel captured a 3-2 lead after 2.5 innings when three BU doubles scored three runs, yet the Oles managed to plate six runs (one earned) in the bottom of the fourth to go ahead 8-3. The sixth inning showcased
Jay Slick (Sr., River Falls, Minn.) at the plate, as the senior catcher brought the Royals to within two with a bases-loaded double that drove in three. Trailing 6-8 in the top of the seventh, Bethel attempted its
second come-from-behind victory against the second straight MIAC opponent, and even though Wednesday's game one hero,
Travis Piepho (Sr., Minneapolis, Minn.), came to the plate with two runners on, the rally fell short and the Royals lost 8-7.
Bethel finished game one with 11 hits, in which four players recorded multi-hit games.
Mike Sedjo (Sr., West Chicago, Ill.) end the affair 3-for-4 with two RBI's, while Slick drove in three and scored another. Additionally,
Matt Rowley (Jr., Minnetonka, Minn.) went 2-for- 4 with a run batted in and a run scored.
On the pitching mound
David Freed (Jr., North Oaks, Minn.) struck out three in four innings, allowing all eight runs (three earned) on seven hits and two walks.
Joey Besong (So., Apple Valley, Minn.) allowed two hits and struck out two in two scoreless innings.
The Royals didn't allow game one's blemish to affect the end result in game two, as Bethel bagged a 5-3 victory over the Oles. Bethel struck first in the second competition, tallying two runs in the opening half-inning on RBI singles by
Jay Slick and
Luke Schultz (So., Forest Lake, Minn.). St. Olaf narrowed the gap in the bottom of the frame and evened the score in the second, before pulling ahead 3-2 after the bottom of the third. BU regained the lead in the fourth though, as
Jesse Nickols (Jr., Arden Hills, Minn.) belted in two runs on a double that scored both
Luke Schultz and
Mike Sedjo. Slick poured on an insurance run in the top of the seventh, when blasting a homerun to give the Royals the eventual 5-3 victory.
Bethel, again, manufactured 11 hits in the second game, as
Matt Rowley led the way with three hits in four at-bats, scoring one run. Slick was sensational from the plate as well, putting the ball in play twice, which drove in two runs and helped him reach home plate twice. Sedjo and Schultz were the other two players to record a pair of hits. For the day,
Jay Slick finished 3-for-7 with a homerun, double, and single that allowed him to drive in five RBI's and score three times.
Matt Pearson (So., Rochester, Minn.) got his second win of the 2012 season, striking out and walking one in 3.2 innings pitched. Pearson allowed three runs (two earned) and six hits in the start, which helped the sophomore get to 2-0 on the season.
Buddy Flaherty (Sr., Victoria, Minn.) pitched the final 3.1 innings for the Royals, allowing him to pick up his sixth save of the season (leads the MIAC). Flaherty allowed no hits, no runs, and no walks in the 3.1 innings pitched, mowing down three batters along the way.
With the split Bethel now stands at 5-1 in MIAC play and 14-7 overall. The Royals will travel to St. Paul, Minn. Tuesday to battle Macalester College in a highly anticipated double dip between BU and the Scots, who currently stand at No. 3 and No. 4 in the conference rankings.
