WINONA, Minn. – Junior infielder Alexa Hanowski went a perfect 6-for-6 at the plate Sunday afternoon as the Bethel University softball team split with Saint Mary's on the road. A strong showing at the dish by the BU top of the order led them to a 9-1 shortened game victory in the opener before SMU took the night cap 6-3.

For the fourth time in program history - second under Head Coach Penny Foore - Bethel hits the 25 win mark in a single season. At 25-11, BU reamins .500 in MIAC play at 10-10. The Royals close out their 2019 campaign tomorrow at Hamline University. First pitch of the MIAC doubleheader is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Hanowski at the dish went 3-for-3 with a double in each game. To go along with Hanowski's multi-RBI performance in game one, Allie Fauth went 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot with two runs, two RBIs and a home run.

Game 1: Bethel 9, Saint Mary's 1 (5 innings)
The Royals showed in game one why they are one of the top-five hitting teams in the nation. Bethel scored at least one run in every inning highlighted by a three-run second.

Allie Fauth wasted no time putting Bethel on the scoreboard as she belted the third pitch of the game over the outfield fence. Calli Maki made it 2-0 with an RBI single that scored Jamie Axelberg.

Mariah Uphoff kept the top of the order hot with an RBI single before Hanowski doubled to bring in a pair. Bethel's top four hitters in game one combined to go 10-for-15 with six runs and six RBIs.
A RBI single by A. Fauth in the third and a RBI ground out by Maki in the fourth gave the Royals a 7-0 advantage.

Saint Mary's put at least one runner on through the first four innings but there was no panic from Hannah Schmidt. Collecting her 10th win of the season in the circle, she struck out two while giving up one run on six hits.

Bethel put up two more runs in the fifth before Megan Thurow closed out the bottom half of the inning with a strikeout.

Game 2: Saint Mary's 6, Bethel 3
Maki's two-out RBI single gave Bethel an early 1-0 lead. In the circle, Maki shut down the Cardinals in the first before SMU put up a four spot on the right-handed hurler forcing BU to go to Megan Thurow out of the pen.

Thurow kept SMU of the scoreboard until the sixth while the Royals began to mount a comeback.

Hanowski doubled to start the fourth before the Royals put runners at the corners with a single from Thurow. A sacrifice fly by Kayla Hokanson scoring Hanowski cut the deficit down to 4-2.

In the fifth, Allie Fauth worked her way around the base paths reaching on a fielder's choice and then stealing second. Uphoff singled moving up A. Fauth to third before a double a well-executed double steal scored Fauth.

A two-run home run by Saint Mary's eight hitter in the sixth pushed the lead back to three where it stayed the rest of the way.