ST. PAUL—Bethel and St. Thomas met in St. Paul Thursday for a conference clash that had huge playoff implications on the line. The Royals (26-8, 13-5 MIAC) and Tommies (17-13, 12-4 MIAC) both used fifth-inning rallies to secure a win, resulting in a split between the No. 2 and 3 teams in the conference standings.
 
BU's fifth-inning rally came in game one, when trailing 2-0. The Royals scored five runs—all with two outs—to take a 5-2 lead and held on to secure the 5-3 triumph. Jake Schubert lifted a one-out single to center, which was followed by Sam Horner's base hit to right. Austin Ledin then mustered a two-out walk to load the bases after being down in the count 0-2 and Joey Fredrickson drove in two runs with an opposite field double that landed right on the right-field foul line. Bo Lovdahl brought home the go-ahead run with a single to short and Mitch Butvilas gave BU breathing room with a double to right that scored a pair before he was tagged out stretching it into a triple.
 
Carson Selin improved to 5-0 on the season after giving up three runs on six hits and two walks, while striking out two in 4.1 innings pitched. Jake Marsh then came out of the bullpen and earned save No. 7 on the season in 2.2 innings of work. Marsh, who is now tied atop Bethel's record book for career saves (14), allowed three hits, but fanned two in the final three frames.
 
BU tallied nine hits, which included two doubles, and two walks in Thursday's opener. Mitch Butvilas went 3-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Bo Lovdahl finished 2-for-3 with a walk, one RBI, and one run and Sam Horner posted two singles.
 
UST's fifth-inning rally came in game two, when they broke a 0-0 tie with three runs in the bottom of the frame. The Royals couldn't answer as they tallied just four hits throughout Thursday's finale. Joey Fredrickson went 2-for-2 with a walk, while Austin Ledin and Bo Lovdahl both collected a hit.
 
Connor Malcolm suffered the loss on the mound, giving up two runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out three in 4.1 innings. Houston Droel, David Cushing, and Joel Virshek all threw in relief.
 
Bethel has secured a spot in the 2018 MIAC Playoffs—their sixth trip in the last seven years—but their seed is still yet to be determined. The Royals conclude the conference schedule with a doubleheader against Augsburg on Saturday and their regular season campaign against UW-Stout on Sunday. Both twin bills are slated to begin at 1 p.m.