Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Bethel University softball team entered Wednesday afternoon's contest two games behind first place Hamline, and finished the day on top of the MIAC, sweeping the Pipers by identical 4-3 scores. BU is now 25-13 overall and 16-4 in loop play. Concluding the twin bill, Bethel and Hamline are tied with a 16-4 records in conference play for first place, but Bethel has the tiebreaker with sweeping Hamline. Two games remain for both teams with Bethel hosting Carleton and Hamline at third place Gustavus.

In the first hard fought battle of the day, the story was the Royals just simply responded. Whenever Hamline would score and take the lead, Bethel would overcome it and take it themselves. Hamline took a 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the second inning but the Royals scored three runs in the top of the third to take the lead 3-2. Jess Brown led the inning off with a single and the Royals batted eight to take back the momentum. Hamline responded with a run the next half inning to tie the game up. In the top of the sixth, Angie Jackson stepped up and knocked in Brook Charleston, which ended up being the game winning run.

Lindsay Edeen pitched tremendous going the distance with only giving up two earned runs, two walks, and striking out two. Edeen got her 11^th win of the season, which is No. 5 in the conference.

In the second game, the story was the same as the Royals fought being down to get another victory on the day. Bethel took the lead 1-0 in the third inning off Kal Sorenson's solo homer, her sixth of the year. In the sixth inning the Pipers scored three to take a commanding 3-1 lead heading into the top of the 7^th. Similar to the opening game with the pressure on, BU cut the deficit and then some with scoring three, to take the lead 4-3. The Pipers fell apart in the 7^th inning defensively by having four errors and then not scoring in the bottom of the inning to lose the game and first place.

Grace Thompson led the Royals with a game-high two hits and Karli Persson pitched another gem. Persson gave up one earned run, two walks and striking out one. Making that her 11^th victory of the year and ironically tied with her teammate Edeen for fifth in the MIAC.  

The Royals will have their breast cancer awareness game Saturday versus Carleton College with a chance to win the MIAC championship with a pair of wins. The doubleheader will be played at Bethel's Ona Orth Athletic Complex in Arden Hills, Minn. starting at 1 p.m.