Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 West St. Paul, Minn. - The Bethany softball team holds on in their first game and gives up a late run in the second game to earn a split in two UMAC crossover games in West St. Paul Tuesday.

The Vikings beat Crown in two five-inning contests in early April, in what turned out to be, their only on campus home games of the season. Against the Storm, in their first game of the day, it looked like it was going to be more of the same.

Bethany put up an 8-spot in the top of the second with seven of the eight runs scoring with two outs. Aimee Wiechmann reached on an error by the Crown shortstop scoring Angela Timm. Ashley Jensen then belted a 3-run homer to left center scoring both Wiechmann and Gena Chester. Two batters later, Nicole Starkson hit her own home run, this one a 2-run shot to left field. Shannon Heitz ended the scoring onslaught with a double to left scoring Rebecca Ludewig who crossed the plate twice in the frame.

As easy as it was to gain the 8-0 advantage, Bethany nearly gave it all back in the bottom of the frame. Crown scored seven runs with the benefit of only one hit. The lone hit was a big one, a grand slam off the bat of Sarah Petkau.

The Vikings built the lead back up with two runs in both the third and fifth innings. Jensen had the only run-producing hit in the innings with an RBI double to center scoring Wiechmann.

Rebecca Ludewig added an insurance run by driving in Starkson with a double down the left field line in the seventh as they would go on to beat Crown 13-10.

Jensen had three hits in the game with Starkson, Ludewig, and Heitz getting two hits a piece.

Bethany battled Minn.-Morris in the second game of the day and it turned into a very different ball game.

Gena Chester did all she could to keep the Vikings in the game with the Cougars by collecting three of her team's five hits. She homered to left in the bottom of the third to pull Bethany within one run at 2-1. In the fifth, she scored the tying run when Wiechmann reached on a bunt single, but two Minn.-Morris errors on the play allowed her to cross the plate.

Minn.-Morris' Sam Hanson delivered the game winning RBI hit in the seventh with a two-out hit to center that landed just in front of the lunging glove of Ludewig.

Bethany is now 17-13 overall and maintains a first place UMAC standing at 10-3. Next play Friday as part of another UMAC crossover in New Ulm.