NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Bethel University softball team kept its MIAC Playoff hopes alive with a sweep of Carleton College Thursday evening at Ele Hansen Field. The Royals used a balanced offensive attack in game one to win 9-6 before the hot bats and a complete game pitching effort from Calli Maki earned the Royals a sweep with a 13-7 decision.

Winning three of their last four the Royals improve to 23-9 on the year and 8-8 in MIAC play. Bethel begins a six game stretch within three days to close out the regular season on Saturday at Macalester.

Sophomore Allie Fauth led the charge at the plate going 8-for-10 with five RBIs, five runs a triple and a two-run home run in game one. In game two, junior Alexa Hanowski went 2-for-5 with three RBIs, a run and a double.

Game 1: Bethel 9, Carleton 6
Both teams opened up the game with a pair of runs in their first plate appearances. Jamie Axelberg gave Bethel a 4-2 lead on a two-RBI single up the middle in the second.

Carleton responded with a three spot in the bottom half of the second and a run in the third to make a 6-4 lead.

Bethel went on to score five unanswered runs as Allie Fauth sparked the charge with a two-run home run in the fourth. Her second long ball of the year scored Maddie Fauth who led off the frame with a walk. A. Fauth then tripled in the fifth to bring in a pair before scoring on a single by Mariah Uphoff.  

Megan Thurow (2-0) picked up the win out of the pen reliving starter Hannah Schmidt. In five innings of work Thurow gave up two runs while striking out four.

Calli Maki was credited with the save after tossing a scoreless seventh.

Game 2: Bethel 13, Carleton 7
Bethel wasted no time getting on the board with a four-run first inning. With the bases juiced, Hanowski did early damage with a double to the gap in right clearing the bases. Hanowski crossed the plate two batters as Kayla Hokanson reached on a fielding error.

The Knights put a run up on Maki in the first before both teams were kept off the scoreboard in the second.

A single through the right side by Lexi DeBace brought in a pair to give the Royals a 6-1 lead in the third.

Carleton showed its resilience recording a three spot in the third cutting the Royal lead down to two.

DeBace capped her four RBI game with a two-RBI double down the left field line in the sixth. Bethel put four more runs up on the board in the seventh highlighted by back-to-back RBI singles by Allie Fauth and Uphoff.

Carleton took advantage of a pair of Bethel errors to plate two runs in the seventh before Maki produced a fly out and a pop out to end it.

In the complete game effort Maki gave up five earned runs and struck out two.