MANKATO, Minn. – The Bethany Lutheran baseball team clinched a spot in the UMAC playoffs on Saturday as they defeated Crown in a pair of contests to take a series sweep. The Vikings, now 18-8 overall and 14-3 in the UMAC, defeated the Polars 14-11 in game one before taking game two 13-6.
Bethany Lutheran 14 – 11 Crown
After a scoreless first two innings from Gavin Jacobsen on the hill, the Bethany offense got going in the second. Brad Bickmann and Hunter Pearce each drew a walk to start the inning before Vaughn Pouncy singled up the middle to plate the first run and get Pearce to third. Pouncy was then caught stealing second but Pearce would score on the throw to put the Vikings up 2-0.
The Polars responded in the top of the third, getting back-to-back doubles to open the frame and plate their first run. A walk would then put two runners on and was followed by a sac bunt to put two in scoring position. Crown would then get a two out base hit up the middle to take a 3-2 lead.
The two teams then played scoreless until the fifth when the Polars began the inning with a fly ball that dropped near the right field line for a triple. A groundout would plate the run and put Crown up 4-2 headed to the bottom of the fifth. The Vikings would answer in the bottom half as Reed Brown singled to start the inning and Bethany would produce a run playing small ball to cut the deficit back to one.
Jacobsen would go out and toss a scoreless top of the sixth before Liam Peterson started the bottom half with a hit and advanced to second on an error. He would advance to third on a passed ball before Bickmann would drive him in with a hit to even things at four. Bickmann then stole second base and Pearce was able to bring him around to score with a base knock up the middle to give Bethany the lead. Pearce would then swipe second base and two batters later it would pay off as Eli Fest knocked a single up the middle to bring Pearce around for a 6-4 lead.
Crown would respond in the top of the seventh though, as they used a pair walks and a pair of wild pitches to plate a run and cut the deficit to one. Another walk would put two runners on and they would capitalize, connecting for a towering three-run blast to left center to take an 8-6 lead.
The teams would then both go down scoreless in their next frame before Bethany came to plate in the eighth. Malachi Santiago sparked the inning with a ground rule double to left and eventually moved to third on a passed ball. Fest would groundout to score Santiago and make it a one run game.
Matt Verdugo got things started again with a walk before Aidan Russell beat the Polars shift and slapped one to the left side for an easy base knock. Ben Hopper was then hit by a pitch before Liam Peterson walked with the bases loaded to tie the game at eight. Bickmann then connected for a sac fly to right to give Bethany the lead, before Pearce was plunked to load the bases once again. Pouncy then came up with a huge at-bat for the home team, roping a single up the middle to plate two more and give the Vikings a three-run lead. With two runners still on Santiago flared one to right center that got past the diving reach of the right fielder for a double to bring in two more, before Fest doubled down the left field line to plate Santiago and bring the score to 14-8.
After a hit by pitch was sandwiched between two strikeouts from John Lutzi in the top of the ninth, the Polars would draw a walk before a single loaded the bases with two away. Three consecutive singles from Crown would score three runs and bring on Bickmann to pitch before a walk would put the tying run on first. Bickmann would induce a popout to second that Santiago would haul in to end the contest and give the Vikings the win.
Pouncy and Fest led the attack at the plate for Bethany, each tallying two hits and three RBI, while Santiago scored three runs and had a pair of RBI in three at-bats.
Jacobsen got the no-decision on the bump, tossing 6 1/3 innings and allowing six runs while striking out eight. Lutzi got the win in relief allowing three runs in 1 1/3 innings, while Bickmann recorded the save.
Bethany Lutheran 13 – 6 Crown
Brody Curtiss started on the bump in game two and was locked in from the start, tossing a scoreless top of the first. Verdugo got the Vikings going in the bottom half with a single before a double from Russell brought him around to third. Ben Hopper would then hit a sac fly to right field to bring in the first run of the contest.
Scoring in the contest then hit a standstill until the fifth inning, when Crown would finally get to Curtiss with four hits, scoring four runs with one of them being thanks to a Bethany error in the field.
The bottom half of the Viking order continued to impress in the sixth, as Pearce started a one-out rally with a bunt single. Pouncy then lined a base hit into right field before Brown delivered a deep fly ball to score Pearce. Pouncy stole second base before Fest connected on a double to right center to bring in another run and cut the deficit to 4-3.
Ty Vollmar came on to pitch for the home team in the seventh, and the Polars would get to the sophomore for two runs in his first inning of work. Crown would open the inning with a single before recording two straight outs. The Polar catcher then stepped up and hit a high fly ball to left field that carried over the tall wall to put the visitors up 6-3.
Russell flied out to right to start the bottom of the seventh for the Vikings before the offense found its footing. Hopper, Peterson, and Bickmann all reached base safely to force a Polar pitching change. The new arm for Crown would have trouble finding the zone, as he beaned Pearce and walked Pouncy to allow two runs to score and cut the deficit to one. A walk to Fest following a strikeout would tie the game before Matt Verdugo legged out an infield single to give the Vikings a 7-6 lead. Russell stepped to the plate and was once again greeted by a shifted defense that saw just one defender on the left side of the infield, so the sophomore gladly slapped another base hit to the wide-open left side to bring two runs across and give the Vikings a 9-6 lead.
After a scoreless top of the eighth, Bickmann stepped up with one out in the bottom half and hit a line drive that flew just over the left field fence into the bullpen to give Bethany a four-run lead. Déjà vu then hit as Pearce would get beaned and Pouncy would walk in back-to-back at bats. Eli Fest doubled down the left field line to bring the duo home before Verdugo singled to right center to give the home team a 13-6 advantage.
Vollmar would then shut the door in the ninth to secure the win.
Verdugo led the Vikings with four hits in the second contest, while Russell added three. Fest also had a huge day at the plate, knocking two hits while recording four RBI and two runs scored.
Curtiss went six innings in the start, allowing three earned runs and striking out seven, while Vollmar got his first win of the year for his three innings of relief.
