ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The Bethany Lutheran softball team couldn't get its bats going on Sunday afternoon, as UW-Superior claimed the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) title with a pair of wins over the Vikings. The Yellowjackets won game one 3-0, before a walk-off 1-0 win in game two. Bethany wraps up its season with a school record 30 wins.
UW-Superior 3 – 0 Bethany Lutheran
The Yellowjackets got things going early in the first contest, drawing a leadoff walk before advancing the runner to second via a bunt. With two outs, Zoe Thompson would then step up and blast a home run to left center field to give UWS a 2-0 lead. Taylor Kraemer stepped on the mound for the bottom of the first inning and not even she could have predicted how her next four hours were going to go. The junior for the Jackets got a 1-2-3 first which kicked off her tremendous day.
Bethany would go down in order in the second inning as well before three free passes from Viking starter Kayla Senne would load the bases to open the third. A sac fly would bring in the games third run and after a single to left it looked like the runner from second may score as well but Katelyn Halbach threw out the runner trying to score to keep things at 3-0.
Brynja Mielke would be the first Viking to reach base in the third as she was hit by a pitch, but nothing would come of it as Kraemer got three straight flyouts to end the inning.
Kaija Mork then came in to pitch in the fourth for the Vikings, and she made quick work of UWS in her first inning to bring Bethany back to the plate. Emily Doyle would knock Bethany's first hit in the fourth with a single up the middle, but once again the runner was stranded and UWS led 3-0 after four.
A quick fifth inning from both teams brought UWS to the plate in the sixth, where Mork would strand a pair of runners in scoring position to keep the Vikings in striking distance.
Halbach and Doyle would each single in the sixth inning for Bethany to put their first runner into scoring position but a groundout ended the inning and the threat.
UWS would load the bases in the seventh but Mork would work out of it again to keep the Vikings close, but Kraemer set them down 1-2-3 in the seventh to send the teams to the if necessary game.
Doyle had a pair of hits in the contest to pace the offense while Halbach recorded the teams only other hit. Senne took the loss allowing three runs in three innings, while Mork worked four innings of scoreless relief.
UW-Superior 1 – 0 Bethany Lutheran
Senne and Kraemer hopped back in the circle for game two and the duo didn't disappoint as they locked into a pitcher's duel from the start.
Bethany was the visiting team in the second contest and went down 1-2-3 in the top of the first inning.
Both teams would get a runner aboard over their next half inning but each would get doubled up to end the inning and keep the game scoreless after 1 ½ innings. Superior and Bethany would each advance a runner to second again in their next time up but neither were able bring them home.
In the fourth Bethany would once again get a runner to second as Doyle was able to get aboard via a single and be bunted to second but a groundout would end the threat.
Kraemer and Senne each dialed it back in over the next few innings as the teams held the scoreless tie until the seventh.
Bethany came to the plate in the seventh and Ana Christofferson was able to reach via an errant throw from Kraemer on the mound with one out to start the threat. After a flyout, Aliya Kehler would draw a walk to put two runners on, but a groundout to short would end the inning.
A walk to start the seventh inning followed by a wild pitch would put the game-winning run for Superior on second base. Senne would then get a strikeout and flyout to get herself one out away from getting out of the jam. Izzy Lingle then came on to pinch hit and with two strikes hit a ball well to right field that was nearly hauled in but bounced in and out of the glove to allow the game winning run to score.
Senne struck out nine in the loss and allowed just three hits and one unearned run. Offensively, Doyle and Jade Krenik recorded the only two hits for the Vikings.
