MINNEAPOLIS – The Bethel University baseball team split a twinbill with Simpson College Wednesday afternoon inside U.S. Bank Stadium.
Bethel (3-1) came away with a win in a game-one pitching duel, 1-0, while the Strom – who received votes in this week's D3baseball.com Top 25 – took game two, 5-3.
Game 1: Bethel 1, Simpson 0
Oddly enough the only run came via a pitching mistake in a strong pitcher's duel in the opener.
Justin Winterfeldt scored the game's only run on a wild pitch in the second after leading off the frame with a triple to the gap in right center.
Starter
Ty Koehn was dialed in where he struck out six. Having only surrendered one hit through five innings he forced the Storm to strand a runner in scoring position in the sixth.
Simpson finally jumped on Koehn putting runners at first and second with one out. Head coach
Brian Raabe went to his bullpen bringing in
Peyton Gallagher who gave up a single to his first hitter loading the bases. Â
No panic from Gallagher he induced a ground ball to second for the game-ending 4-6-3 double play. Kohen picked up his first win of the season while Gallagher earned his first career save.
Game 2: Simpson 5, Bethel 3
The early offensive was back for Bethel but run production would only come in the first. A sacrifice fly from
Joey Fredrickson and a two-RBI single for
James Woelfel gave the Royals an early 3-1 advantage.
Simpson jumped on Bethel starter
Brett Carlson who gave up three runs, two of which were earned, in 1.2 innings of work. Out of the bullpen
Logan McDonald tossed a scoreless third before giving up the go ahead run in the fourth.
Bethel stranded a runner in scoring position in the fourth, fifth and sixth while Simpson added an insurance run in the top of the seventh against reliever
Blake Williams.
The Simpson bullpen forced BU to go 1-2-3 in their last plate appearance splitting the series.
Up Next
The Royals pack their bags and head to The Sunshine State taking on a pair of NCAA Division II opponents in Saginaw Valley State and Wayne State.
