MANKATO, Minn. -- The Bethany Lutheran softball team (9-11 overall, 2-0 UMAC) swept Crown (3-11, 0-6) Thursday to open the conference portion of its schedule. The Vikings won the opener 8-0 in five innings, and claimed the finale 10-1 in six innings.

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In the first game, BLC took the early 4-0 lead in the first inning, thanks in part to a three-run homer by freshman Haley Stockman (Mankato, Minn.). The Vikings plated two more in the second as freshman Jenna Wahl (Holmen, Wis.) drove in senior Morgan Mashlan (Brandon, SD), and Wahl scored on a single from junior Zoe Kinakin (Victoria, British Columbia).
 
The Storm looked to score in the fourth as they had bases loaded with one out. The next batters flew out and grounded out to end the threat.
 
The game remained 4-0 until the fifth as Mashlan drove in pinch hitter freshman Madisyn Loken (Janesville, Minn.) and Wahl drove in sophomore Liz Milam (Le Sueur, Minn.) to seal the shortened victory.
 
Wahl and Kinakin both went 2-3. Stockman was 2-2 with three runs.
 
Senior pitcher Alyssa Kosta (Redding, Calif.) earned the complete game win and struck out a career-high six.
 
In the finale, Bethany tallied one in the first and second innings. Crown got on the scoreboard in the fourth with one run on three hits.
 
Kosta scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the frame to make it 3-1. In the fifth, consecutive RBI singles from freshman Brynja Mielke (Sleepy Eye, Minn.) and Kosta was followed by an RBI double from Milam to extend the margin to 6-1.
 
In the sixth, senior Eden Ambrose (Hugo, Minn.) scored on Kinakin's fielders choice. Freshman Ana Christofferson (Mankato, Minn.) hit a three-run home run over the left field fence to solidify the sweep.
 
Kosta went 3-3 with an RBI and two runs scored, in addition to throwing another complete game. Ambrose, Christofferson, and Kinakin all went 2-4.
 
BLC returns to the field Saturday when it hosts St. Scholastica at 1 p.m.