MANKATO, Minn. – The Bethany Lutheran baseball team hosted Minnesota-Morris on Monday afternoon for a pair of contests with each team coming out of the day with a win. The Cougars, who were the home team on the scoreboard took game one 11-10 in 12 innings before the Vikings rebounded with a 9-3 in game two. With the results the Vikings move to 5-6 overall and 2-1 in the UMAC while the Cougars move to 6-12 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
Minnesota-Morris 11 – 10 Bethany Lutheran (12 innings)
After each team was able to get one run through the first three innings of game one, Hunter Pearce would give the Vikings a lead in the top of the fourth thanks to a single up in the middle that plated Vaughn Pouncy. In the fifth inning Aidan Russell would blast a solo shot to right center that gave Bethany a 3-1 lead, before Morris answered with a solo shot in the bottom half to cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Vikings would scratch two more runs across in the sixth thanks to RBI singles from Matt Verdugo and Russell, but Morris would come back with a run in the bottom half thanks to a bases loaded walk. After Bethany went scoreless in the top of the seventh, Morris would use a two-run home run in the bottom half to tie things at 5-5.
After two straight outs to begin the top of the eighth Verdugo would start a two-out rally with a base hit that got away from the right fielder and put him at second base. After his big start to the day, Russell was intentionally walked which brought Brad Bickmann to the plate who also walked. With the bases loaded Ben Hopper would deliver, launching a grand slam over the right field fence for a 9-5 lead.
Bethany would add an insurance run in the top of the ninth thanks to a Cougar error and took a 10-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth. Minnesota-Morris put their rally caps on though, as they strung together five hits and used a Bethany error to push across five runs and force extra innings.
After neither team could get much going in the first two extra frames the Vikings would start a rally in the 12th getting two runners on with one out, but a pop out and strike out would end the threat.
After a hit by pitch and error to start the bottom half for the Cougars, both runners would then advance a base on a wild pitch to put runners on second and third. After a strikeout looking to get the first out, Morris would knock across the winning run after a line drive to left got down for a base hit.
Pouncy and Russell led the hitting attack for the Vikings with three hits apiece in the contest with Russell also adding two RBI and two runs scored.
Gavin Jacobsen got the start on the mound, going 5 2/3 innings and allowing two earned runs while striking out six. Jackson Huiras took the loss in relief, allowing one earned over three innings while striking out four.
Bethany Lutheran 9 - 3 Minnesota-Morris
The first two innings were a breeze in this one, as Brody Curtiss got the start on the bump and worked his way seamlessly throughout the Morris order the first time through. Bethany would open up a 2-0 lead in the third after Will Carlson and Eli Fest would reach to start the inning. They would eventually get pushed to second and third, with Carlson scoring on a passed ball before Verdugo hit a sac fly to score Fest.
Curtiss would continue to roll through the third and fourth innings, before Bethany's bats would give him some insurance in the fifth. After a pair of walks to start the inning, Hopper would knock in the first run with a single to put Bethany up 3-0. Liam Peterson would follow that up with a 2 RBI single after a Hopper stolen base to put Bethany up 5-0. Henry Laue then gave Bethany their biggest lead of the day at 7-0 after he powered a two-run shot out to right field.
Morris would fight back into things in the bottom half of the fifth, as they forced Curtiss from the game with four hits and a sac fly to plate three runs and cut the deficit to 7-3. With a runner still at third and two outs, Conner Side would replace Curtiss and get a groundout to end the threat.
Both teams then played the sixth and seventh scoreless, before Bethany would strike for another run in the eighth. Malachi Santiago would reach on a fielder's choice and steal both second and third, with his steal of third resulting in an errant throw that would bring him home. The Vikings added one more insurance run in the ninth after Liam Peterson ripped a base hit up the middle and stole second before being moved over by Laue and brought in by Pouncy.
Ty Vollmar would pitch a shutout ninth inning to secure the win.
Curtiss got the win on mound, allowing three earned runs in 4 2/3 innings and striking out six, while Side allowed just one hit and struck out four in 2 1/3 innings of relief. Vollmar shut the door for the Vikings going the final two innings and striking out four.
Peterson was the only Viking with multiple hits in the contest as he had two. Bethany drew eight walks in the contest with Russell drawing three of them, while Eli Fest drew two and added a hit and two runs scored.
Game Tuesday Postponed
The game scheduled for noon on Tuesday between the Vikings and Cougars has been postponed due to impending weather.
