Mankato, Minn. – The No. 9th-ranked Bethel University softball team dropped a pair of non-conference games Saturday afternoon down in Mankato. The Royals fell in the opener to Luther, 3-1, before Wisconsin-Eau Claire took the nightcap 3-0. BU falls to 2-2 on the year. 
 
Game 1: Luther 3, #9 Bethel 1
• Both teams did all their scoring in the first inning with Luther being the visitors on the scoreboard.
• Luther had back-to-back singles until a one-out three-run homer cleared the left-field fence.
• Allie Fauth-Kilgore led the bottom half of the frame with a triple before scoring on Lexi DeBace's bunt single down the first-base line.
• BU would strand DeBace at third and would also strand a runner at third in the second, third and fifth.
• Kayla Simacek forced Luther to strand them loaded in the second. In the fifth, despite two BU errors, stranded a Luther runner at third. She finished the game with nine Ks.
• BU made one last comeback effort putting runners at first and second in the seventh, but back-to-back strikeouts ended it.
• For the foes, Kendra Cooper in the circle struck out 12 BU hitters.
 
Game 2: Wisconsin-Eau Claire 3, #9 Bethel 0
• The Royals were limited to two hits coming off the bats of Kayla Hokanson and Mikaela Girard.
• The Blugolds went up 2-0 with a pair of unearned runs in the second. They tacked on more in the fifth as the first three batters of the inning reached.
• Simacek struck out 12 in the complete game effort while walking none.
 
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