Box Score Pella, Iowa - Even though the Bethany softball team was making their first ever appearance in a national tournament Thursday, the NCAA selection committee didn't give them any favors. The Vikings were placed in the Pella, Iowa regional where four of the eight teams are nationally ranked.

In the opener, Bethany faced one of those ranked teams in No. 9 St. Thomas, the No. 1 seed in the regional. The Tommies swept through the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with an undefeated record and have two national championships to their credit.

For the first three and a half innings on Thursday one wouldn't be able to tell which team was making their first national tournament appearance and which team was making their 21st.

Bethany led 1-0 going into the bottom of the fourth and Nicole Starkson was the reason why. She had the Vikings' only two hits in the game including a lead-off home run to left in the second.

On the mound, Starkson held the Tommies to only one hit through the first three innings.

All that optimism started to dissipate in the bottom of the fourth. St. Thomas squeezed home both of their runs in the fourth to take a 2-1 advantage.

In the fifth, the walls caved in. Bethany went down 1-2-3 in their half, all by strikeouts and St. Thomas scored seven runs without an out being recorded putting a quick end to a great start.

Bethany heads back to the diamond tomorrow in the double elimination tournament. They will play the loser of the Coe/Washington-St. Louis game Friday at 10 am in Pella.