KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The No. 9 Bethel University softball team concluded its annual spring break trip by splitting its final two games. Loras bested in the Royals in the opener 1-0 with a seventh inning solo home run before Bethel bounced back in the night cap against Sewanee.
Going 9-1 in Florida, the Royals return to Arden Hills with an 11-3 record.
For the six-day stretch,
Kayla Simacek tossed 60.1 innings of work where she struck out 99 hitters gave up eight runs, seven which were earned, and two walks. She went 8-1 in the circle while
Ella Roberts picked up the win against Kenyon.
At the dish,
Mikaela Girard hit .448 while driving in seven runs.
Kayla Hokanson drove in nine runs with three doubles and a homer. On the base paths, Allie Kilgore-Fauth was a perfect 15-for-15 in stolen bases while scoring 11 times.
Game 1: Loras 1, #9 Bethel 0
• A one-out solo homer for Loras in the top of the seventh would be the difference in a game that saw each team tally three hits apiece.
• Simacek worked out of her first jam of the day in the third with Loras' first two hitters reaching and moving into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt. Back-to-back strikeouts, the final needing eight pitches to do so, put BU back in the dugout.
• The Royals had a runner in scoring position in the first, third and fourth but couldn't push a run across.
• With a season-high 16 Ks, Simacek retired seven of the last nine hitters
•
Lexi DeBace,
Mikaela Girard and
Mandalyn Franks each tallied hits in the game.
Game 2: #9 Bethel 5, Sewanee 2
• The Royals struck first scoring their leadoff single in the form of Kilgore-Fauth. A pair of stolen bases moved her to third before coming home an errant throw that tried to double her off on a fly ball.
• Two more were plated in the third, Kilgore-Fauth again on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Girard.
Lexi DeBace scored on an RBI grounder from K. Hokanson.
• Simacek retired the first 10 faced before giving up a walk. After that she would strike out five of her 11 Ks before BU went to the arm of Roberts with one out in the sixth.
•
Hayden Glander picked up her first RBI of the season scoring
Izzy Wilhelm making it 5-0 BU
• Sewanee plated two unearned runs in the seventh.
UP NEXT
Weather permitting, the Royals head down to Storm Lake, Iowa for a non-conference doubleheader at Buena Vista next Saturday, March 25. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
