ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - The Bethel University baseball team opened a three-game weekend series with the Central College Dutch with an impressive 15-4 victory Saturday afternoon. The Royals scored in seven of their eight at bats in the contest while freshman relievers Michael Meadows and Jordan Axberg blanked Central over the final six frames. The win improves the Royals to 22-4 on the season, winning nine of their last ten contests. 

 Ty Koehn led the Bethel offense with a 3-4 day, driving in four. Matthew Carlsen, Tommy Friesen, Justin Winterfeldt, Keenan Hodgkin and Nolan Jurgenson all had a pair of hits. Nick Kulseth was 1-3 with two runs scored and two RBI. Friesen launched his third home run of the season in the fourth inning on an 0-2 pitch. 

Meadows came on in relief early in the third inning of starter John Solfest and allowed a pair of hits before inducing a double play ground ball and a groundout to second to escape further damage. From there he would allow just two hits and no runs over the next five innings with a pair of strikeouts to pick up his second win of the season. Jordan Axberg made his collegiate debut on the mound with a scoreless and hitless ninth inning.

The Royals and Dutch will square off again on Sunday with a pair of seven inning games beginning at Noon from Hargis Park on the Bethel University campus.