ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – In its final Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference series of the 2019 season, the Bethel University baseball team split with Concordia College Saturday afternoon at Hargis Park. The Cobbers took game one in a 2-0 pitcher's duel before the Royals took the nightcap 4-2.

Bethel moves to 21-16 overall and finishes 9-11 in MIAC play. The Royals close out the 2019 season tomorrow at home against the College of St. Scholastica. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. at Hargis Park. Prior to the game Bethel will honor its four senior student-athletes in Michael Bohlke, Cody Hepfler, Christian Brausen and Sam Horner with pregame ceremony.

Game 1: Concordia 2, Bethel 0
Both teams had their chance in the opening frame as Bethel got out of the jam on a double play ball that was a line shot at Marcus Krupke before he doubled off the runner at second. The Royals put their first two hitters of the game on base but were stranded following three straight strikeouts.

Senior right-hander Michael Bohlke was in a grove on the mound inducing back-to-back inning ending double plays in the second and third.

The Cobbers broke through on the scoreboard in the fifth on a ball hit towards the right field line. Caleb Brandt made a dash towards the line attempting to make the catch before it was determined the ball was in fair territory when it went off Brandt's glove. The triple brought in a pair of runs where the score remained 2-0 the rest of the way. 

Sam Horner led off the sixth with a single before Krupke hit into a double play. Mitch Butvilas kept the inning alive with a walk and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. The Royals stranded its final scoring opportunity leaving Butvilas in scoring position with a line out to short off the bat of Joey Fredrickson.

In the pitcher's duel, Bohlke (2-4) gave up seven hits, two walks and struck out one.

Game 2: Bethel 4, Concordia 2
The bats came alive in game two and it all started with Ty Koehn's first triple of the year to lead off the second. Koehn wasn't on the base paths long as Keenan Hodgkin began his 2-for-4 game with an RBI single to right. Hodgkin made it 2-0 scoring on a passed ball later in the inning.

Junior right-hander Connor Malcolm kept that two run lead in tact until the fourth as the Cobbers split the BU lead in half with a homer to lead off the fourth. Malcolm (3-2) went on to retire 12 of the next 14 hitters he faced, five of which came via the strikeout.

A RBI single by Trey Kocher through the left side in the sixth made it 3-1. Back-to-back singles by Nick Kulseth and Horner put runners at the corners to start the seventh. The Royals then executed the squeeze play scoring Kulseth on a well-placed bunt to third by Krupke. Butvilas – who was 3-for-4 - then hit into a double play followed by a ground out from Fredrickson ending the Royals half of the eighth with a 4-1 advantage.

Bethel went to the pen in the eighth as the Cobbers put up a run on Brady Leahy. BU went three up, three down in the eighth paving the way for Jake Marsh to close it out in the ninth. Marsh allowed one hit in ninth but the Royals never let that runner into scoring position as Marsh picked up his second save of the season.