ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The No. 17th-ranked Bethel University softball team earned its sixth conference sweep of the season besting Augsburg twice Tuesday evening at Ona Orth Athletic Complex. A six-run third inning carried the Royals to an 8-3 win in game one before
Rylee Blandin picked up her first collegiate win in game two with a shutout performance, 9-0.
Winners of six in a row, BU improves to 23-7 on the year and 12-4 in MIAC play.
Game 1: #17 Bethel 8, Augsburg 3
• The Auggies took an early 3-0 lead on the Royals plating a two-run in the first and two in the third with one of those being unearned.
• In the bottom of the third,
Abby Otterness kept the hot bat with a bases clearing double evening it up at 3-3.
•
Camryn Thurow scored Otterness three pitches later putting the Royals in front for good. BU hit around in the third finishing off with RBI singles from
Sidney Bartels and
Cortney Hokanson making it 6-3.
• In the circle,
Kayla Simacek settled in giving up only two hits in the final four frames.
• Bethel helped out Simacek with some insurance runs as
Autumn Earney notched a RBI double and
Mikaela Girard drove one in on a ground out to third.
• Simacek put the exclamation point on things recording her 10th strikeout of the game to end it.
Game 2: #17 Bethel 9, Augsburg 0 (5 innings)
• Bethel struck first in game two as Bartels drove in a pair with a triple to the fence in right center.
• In the second,
Autumn Earney put the Royals up 3-0 with her double to the gap in right scoring
Kayla Hokanson.
Mandalyn Franks tried scoring from second on the play but was thrown out at the dish.
• Blandin's no-hit bid was broken up in the fourth with a one out double off the fence in right. After another base hit for the Auggies she worked out of it with a backwards K and a flyout to left ending the threat.
• BU plated five in the third with the help of three Augsburg errors, opening the advantage to 8-0.
• Thurow scored BU's lone run of the fourth after reaching on an error and coming around from first on a double by
Cortney Hokanson.
• Augsburg loaded up the bases in the fifth before Blandin got a pop out and a groundout to earn the shutout victory.
UP NEXT
Bethel travels up Snelling Ave. to Macalester on Saturday, April 27. The doubleheader is set to begin at 3 p.m. in St. Paul.
