MANKATO, Minn.—The Bethany Lutheran baseball team (13-12 overall, 9-5 UMAC) completed its series sweep over Northland College (2-16, 2-8) by winning 5-4 and 6-3 in Saturday's doubleheader.
Junior Liam Peterson (Port Orchard, Wash.) jump-started the scoring with his two-run homer over the left field fence in the first inning. It was the first home run for the Vikings this season and the fifth of Peterson's career.
After tossing three scoreless innings to open the game, junior Daniel Salinas (Saint Paul, Minn.) ran into trouble in the fourth frame as the Lumberjacks took a 4-2 lead. Salinas ended his day with a career-high seven strikeouts.
Bethany got one back in the sixth inning courtesy of an RBI double from senior Jake LaBerge (Round Rock, Tex.). A ground ball RBI from Peterson and a Northland error on the same play plated two in the seventh to make it 5-4.
Senior Conor Merton (Perth, Australia) was the winning pitcher, as he worked three scoreless innings and fanned five 'Jacks. Classmate Adam Fjerstad (Hayfield, Minn.) got a two-inning save and had two strikeouts.
The 14 strikeouts from the Vikings' pitching staff in game one is a season high.
Peterson finished the opener with three RBIs, and LaBerge went 2-3 as he accounted for the only other RBI by BLC.
Game two was knotted at 3-3 going into the home half of the sixth inning, when a sacrifice fly from senior Hunter Pearce (Berthoud, Colo.) scored junior Ben Hopper (North Mankato, Minn.) to give the Vikings a 4-3 lead. The RBI for Pearce was his second of the day.
Back-to-back two-out, RBI doubles from freshman Malachi Santiago (Gilbert, Ariz.) and senior Ross Beumer (Northfield, Minn.) made it 6-3 heading into the eighth inning.
Fjerstad worked the final three innings for his second save of the day and third of the season.
Senior Nick Shubert (Mapleton, Minn.) worked two scoreless middle innings to get the win. He ended his day by striking out the side in the sixth frame.
Beumer went 2-4 with an RBI in game two. Hopper reached base in all three of his plate appearances and scored three runs.
Bethany will look to carry its momentum from the weekend into Tuesday when it faces Martin Luther College in New Ulm, Minn. at 3 p.m.
