TOPEKA, Minn. – In a battle of the MIAC and American Rivers conference champions, the Bethel University baseball team dropped a pair of one run ball games, 3-2 and 4-3, to Buena Vista. The Royals took game two of the three-game tilt on Saturday with five unanswered, 5-2.
 
Game 1: #RV Buena Vista 3, #RV Bethel 2
• The Beavers put up a crooked number in the home half of the first with a two-run shot over the left field wall.
• Nolan Jurgenson led off the third with a double to center, he would score two batters later as Tommy Friesen drove him in making it 2-1.
• BU tied it up in the seventh loading up the bases with its first three hitters. A wild pitch to Matthew Carlsen allowed Nick Kulseth to score before a pair of groundouts and a strikeout left them loaded.
• BVU walked off the Royals scoring its leadoff double after a well-executed bunt saw the Royals overthrow the first basemen allowing the winning run to score.
• Marcus Krupke got the start tossing 6.2 innings of work and striking out seven in the no decision. The loss went to Ty Koehn who went 1.1 innings walking one and surrernedering the unearned run.
 
Game 2: #RV Bethel 5, #RV Buena Vista 2
• The Beavers struck first with a run in the third and fifth taking a 2-0 advantage.
• The Royals only had two hits, that is until the sixth. A pair of flyouts started the frame before the rally began.
• Justin Winterfeldt singled before moving into scoring position on a failed pickoff attempt. He scored two batters later on an RBI single from Nick Kulseth.
• Marcus Krupke scored Tommy Friesen, who reached on a walk, evening it up at two apiece.
• The leadoff man reached in the seventh for BU before Keenan Hodgkin drove in the go ahead run.
• Bethel loaded them up in the eighth where Friesen doubled bringing in a pair.
 
Game 3: #RV Buena Vista 4, #RV Bethel 3
• BVU put up an unearned run in the home half of the first taking the early lead.
• The Royals threw out one runner at the plate in the third before back-to-back singles for the Beavers put them up 3-0.
• Bethel's bats came alive in the fifth putting up a three spot all with two outs. Matthew Carlsen drove in a pair with a shot down the life field line before Friesen followed it up with a RBI single to right.
• The Beavers pushed the eventual game-winning run across in the sixth with an RBI single to left.
• Making his BU debut, redshirt freshman Ryan Parker tossed five innings of work striking out six and giving up four runs, three which were earned.
• Aidan Nelson threw the final three frames giving up no runs, two hits and struck out three.
 
UP NEXT
The Royals head to the Sunshine State where their nine-game spring break trip kicks off against UT-Dallas, who received votes in the preseason top 25, on Friday, March 10.

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