ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Bethel University softball team closed out its 2019 campaign falling twice to Hamline University Monday evening at Meredith Field. A late rally came up just short in the opener for the Royals who fell 7-5 before the Pipers took the nightcap 5-2.
Bethel closes out the season with a 25-13 overall record and 10-12 in MIAC play. The Royals for the fourth time in program history and second under Head Coach
Penny Foore hit the 25 win mark in a single season while also consistently remaining one of the top-10 hitting teams in Division III.
In her final series in a Royal uniform
Maddie Fauth went 2-for-2 in game one with a double, one run and one RBI.
Game 1: Hamline 7, Bethel 5
Jamie Axelberg tied the game up at 1-1 in the third when her RBI single up the middle scored
Lexi DeBace all the way from second.
Hamline responded immediately in the bottom half of the inning putting up a five spot on
Hannah Schmidt with the help of a couple of errors.
The Royals got one back in the fourth courtesy of a RBI single off the bat of M. Fauth. Bethel continued to chip away at the deficit loading the bases with two outs. Axelberg brought in her second run of game with an infield single. One batter later,
Alexa Hanowski took one for the team and was hit by a 3-2 pitch to pull the Royals within 6-4.
Hamline took advantage of two more errors in the bottom of the sixth making it 7-4.
BU in attempt to pull together one last rally saw a double from M. Fauth where she scored one batter later on a single by DeBace. A fly out ended it the next at bat denying the Royals a comeback.
Game 2: Hamline 5, Bethel 2
A. Fauth legged out an infield single before quickly moving to third in the opening frame. Axelberg drove in Fauth for the game's first run with a sacrifice fly.
Hamline made quick work in the first putting up four runs on three hits. The Pipers kept the Royals off the board until the sixth while adding one more in the fourth to lead 5-1.
The top of the Bethel order stayed hot as
Mariah Uphoff laid a bunt down scoring A. Fauth making it 5-2. The Royals went down in order in the seventh to close out the season.
Ellie Rogers out of the pen tossed 5.1 innings of one-run ball while
Calli Maki received the loss in just 0.2 innings of work.
