TUCSON, Ariz.— The Bethany Lutheran baseball team (1-6 overall) defeated Carthage (3-2) 4-3 in walkoff fashion in the final varsity game of the Spring Training trip Thursday.

Sophomore Alec Gratz (Mankato, Minn.) executed a suicide squeeze which brought in pinch runner classmate Conner Side (Denver, Colo.) from third for the winning run.

The Red Men were the first team on the scoreboard as they tallied two in the first. Gratz drove in senior Jake La Berge (Round Rock, Texas) from second on his single up the middle for the first run for the Vikings in the fourth.

BLC knotted the score at two all in the sixth as senior Cody Ulfers (Waseca, Minn.) drove in junior Tommy Gannon (Janesville, Minn.) on his single to left.
Junior Ross Beumer (Northfield, Minn.) scored the go-ahead run as the next batter, classmate Kaylan Legred (Blue Earth, Minn.) single through the right side.

Carthage tied the game in the eighth on an RBI single to right.

In the bottom of the ninth, LaBerge hit a leadoff single to right field. Side came in to run for him, and was sacrificed to second by Hopper. Side advanced to third on a stolen base before Gratz drove him in.

LaBerge was 3-5, Gratz went 2-5 with two RBIs, and Ulfers was 2-5.

Bethany has two JV games Friday and will resume varsity play  Sunday, March 22 against Gustavus in a doubleheader at 1 p.m.