ARDEN HILLS, MINN.—The Bethel University softball team split with St. Catherine (DH) at Ona Orth Complex on Sunday, winning game one 5-4, and dropping game two 5-3.
The Royals move to 9-17, 4-4 MIAC, while the Wildcats end the day with a 16-8, 5-1 MIAC record.
Bethel 5, St. Catherine 4 (Game One)
Three lead changes occurred in a contest that went down the wire to the bottom of the seventh inning, when Sidney Bartels' walk off RBI single scored Mandalyn Franks and handed St. Kate's their first MIAC loss, and sealed a 5-4 victory for the Royals
Bethel got nine hits across five players, four of which were multi-hit performances. Bartels's game-winning RBI single highlighted her 2-for-4 outing that consisted of two RBI. Abby Otterness continued to hit home runs in all shapes and sizes, as her inside the park home run in the sixth inning made up her 2-for-4 outing that resulted in two runs scored, two RBI, and one stolen base. Franks was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, including the game-winner off Bartels' single in the bottom of the seventh. Rounding out the multi hit Royals was Greta Stanek, who finished 2-for-3.
Brianna Tix pitched the first 3.0 innings, where she gave up four hits, two runs (one earned), one walk, and notched one strikeout. Mary Hajduk surrendered six hits, two runs, one walk, and notched one strikeout over the final 4.0 innings to seal the winning decision.
Alexa Carlstrom allowed nine hits, five runs (three earned), one walk, and notched five strikeouts in the complete-game pitching loss for the Wildcats.
St. Catherine 5, Bethel 3 (Game Two)
All three of Bethel's runs occurred in the third inning courtesy of Abby Otterness's RBI triple that scored Julia Helget (walk), Hannah Bock's pinch hit RBI single that scored Otterness, and Greta Stanek's one-run double that sent home Bock. Those plays gave them a 3-1 lead before St. Catherine scored four unanswered runs across the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings to seal a 5-3 win over the Royals. That included Maren Ceyonwa's two-run home run in the seventh inning that gave the Wildcats a 5-3 lead.
St. Catherine held Bethel to just four hits which included doubles from Bock and Stanek, a triple from Otterness, and a single from Camryn Thurow.
Morgan Wilson and Taylor Graf combined to allow four hits, three runs, four walks, and notch five strikeouts in the circle for St. Catherine.
Dominique Walicke tossed a complete game for the Royals, giving up 12 hits, five runs, and notching three strikeouts.
The Royals will travel to Carleton (DH) on Wednesday, April 15 for a 3:30 p.m. game.
