MANKATO, Minn.— Bethany Lutheran (1-5 overall) split with UW-River Falls (1-1) Saturday at the Bethany Invitational. The Falcons won the opener 4-2, but the Vikings claimed the finale in walkoff fashion, 4-3 in eight innings.

The second game was scoreless until the top of the fifth when UWRF hit a two-run double to take the 2-0 lead. BLC got on the board with an RBI single from sophomore Liz Milam (Le Sueur, Minn.). Milam then scored on junior Zoe Kinakin's (Victoria, British Columbia) double to center to even it at two all.

This remained the score after seven innings, to send it into extras. The Falcons sacrificed the runner to third, who then scored on a groundout to take the 3-2 lead.
With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, freshman Brynja Mielke (Sleepy Eye, Minn.) hit a walkoff double to centerfield to drive in the game-winning runs.

Mielke, Kinakin and junior Kassidy Cunningham (Portage La Prairie, Manitoba) all went 2-3. Cunningham went the distance in the circle and fanned four.

In the opener, UWRF took the 1-0 lead in the second. BLC evened it in the fourth on a fielding error. The Falcons reclaimed the lead in the fifth on an RBI double and a two-run double. With two outs in the bottom of the seven, Milam drove in Cunningham on her double to leftfield to cut the lead to two. Kinakin singled to left, but she and Milam were unfortunately left stranded as the next batter grounded out to end a further rally.

Kinakin went 2-3 in that game and freshman Ana Christofferson (Mankato, Minn.) had two stolen bases.

The Vikings return to the field tomorrow when they face Buena Vista in a twinbill at 10 a.m.