ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The No. 12th-ranked Bethel University softball team surpassed the 30-win mark with a 4-2 game one victory over St. Catherine University Tuesday afternoon at Ona Orth Athletic Complex. The Wildcats took the regular-season finale 10-2 in five innings.
Junior ace
Kayla Simacek picked up the win in the circle in game one as she made history with her MIAC record 19th conference win.
All seven seniors that were honored in today's postgame celebration found themselves as starters between the two games. BU honored
Kylie Bergman,
Sadie Hanzalik, Grace Halverson,
Kayla Hokanson,
Cortney Hokanson,
Angela Dabu and
Lexi DeBace for their time and dedication to the program.
Game 1 | No. 12 Bethel 4, St. Kate's 2
An early error by St. Kate's allowed Bethel to put up two runs in its first at bat.
The Wildcats cut it within one on a home run to right in the second.
Simacek picked up a strikeout to end the third forcing SCU to strand two. In the fourth the Wildcats loaded them up but a groundout ended the threat.
K. Hokanson provided the fireworks in the fourth taking the first pitch she saw over the right field fence. Dabu made it 4-1 with a double to left scoring pinch runner
Hailey Rismeyer.
SCU produced a run on two hits in the seventh before Simack got a foul out improving to 29-2 on the year and 19-1 against MIAC opponents.
Game 2 | St. Kate's 10, No. 12 Bethel 2 (5 innings)
The Wildcats put up a three spot on Royals starter
Ella Roberts in the third breaking a scoreless tie.
Mikaela Girard, who played defensively as a catcher, drove in BU's two runs in the bottom of the third. Girard singled to center scoring
Allie Fauth, who singled and stole second and third, as well as Autum Earney who walked before stealing one of her three bases on the day.
St. Kate's plated five in the fourth and one in the fifth.
Up next
It's all postseason softball from this point on. Playing as the top seed in the MIAC Playoffs, Bethel will play in Saturday's first semifinal game at 11 a.m. Stay tuned to BethelRoyals.com for details on the tournament being played at Ona Orth Athletic Complex all day Saturday.
