ROSEMOUNT, Minn.—Bethel University's softball team kicked off their 2015 campaign in a late-night double header against UW-Stout Saturday evening and came away with a split against the Blue Devils. The Royals couldn't overcome a 2-1 deficit in the first of two games, but got revenge in the second with an 8-3 victory. The triumph in game two will go down as Penny Foore's first win as a collegiate head coach.
 
BU managed just three hits in the season opener and scored their only run on an error in the second inning. Trailing 2-1 in the fourth, the Royals left a leadoff walk stranded on third. Then in the fifth, back-to-back errors by UW-Stout had runners on first and second, but Bethel's lead runner was thrown out at home on a single by Abbie Bircher and a lineout ended the Royals best threat of tying or taking the lead.
 
Bethel allowed two earned runs in the first inning, but held Stout scoreless until the bottom of the sixth, when the Blue Devils erupted for five runs. Karli Persson was charged with the loss after allowing six runs—four earned— in 5.2 innings pitched. Persson struck out three and walked two.
 
The Royals brought out the bats in game two, as they finished the early morning contest with 12 hits and eight runs. UW-Stout again jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning, but Bethel was able to strike right back in the bottom of the frame with a pair of runs themselves.

Kalyn Sorenson drew a two-out walk, which was followed up by three straight singles by Kelsey Anderson, Micayla Moore, and Abbie Bircher. Bircher's liner to right field brought in both runs and knotted the contest at two.
 
BU put two more on the board in the very next frame when Shelbi Swenson led off with a base hit to right and Alyssa Jones singled in her first-ever collegiate at-bat. Angie Jackson then advanced the runners with a sacrifice fly and Jess Brown's triple to left field brought in both Swenson and Jones.
 
The Royals finished their offensive production in the bottom of the third when adding four runs to their final tally. Kelsey Anderson led off with a walk and Micayla Moore advanced her to third thanks to an error by the Stout defense. With runners on second and third, Abbie Bircher drove in the first run with an opposite-field single. Moore then crossed the plate on a passed ball and Bircher scored on a single by Jess Davis. Alyssa Jones's two-out RBI-groundout—the first run batted in of her career—capped off Bethel's scoring in the nonconference tilt.
 
Lindsay Edeen went the distance in the circle, giving up seven hits and one walk in 7.0 innings pitched. Edeen struck out three in the winning performance.
 
Abbie Bircher finished the game 2-3 with three RBI's, while Jess Brown was 2-4 with a pair of runs batted in.
 
Bethel will have to wait a couple weeks before they get back to live action. The Royals will play UW-Oshkosh and Luther in the Rochester Dome on Saturday, March 7 at 5:30 and 8 p.m., respectively.