LA CROSSE, Wis. – The Bethany Lutheran baseball team wrapped up its season on Saturday afternoon as they suffered a 12-2 loss to Buena Vista in the NCAA Regional Tournament. With the loss the Vikings finish the 2023 campaign with a 25-11 overall record.
 
Brody Curtiss got the nod in this one and the Beavers got to him early in the first, connecting with a pair of singles before a one-out double scored a pair of runs for the early 2-0 lead.
 
After a quick bottom of the first and top of the second inning, Bethany would answer in their second trip to the plate. Hunter Pearce would draw a one-out walk before Vaughn Pouncy opened up on the offering from the BVU pitcher and drove it over the right field fence to even things at two.
 
Buena Vista broke the tie in the top of the third though, as they forced Curtiss from the game when a pair of runners reached and another double brought in a pair and ended the senior's day. Conor Merton came on in relief and the Beavers would get one more runner across in the inning before he was able to get out of the inning.
 
The Vikings would threaten in the bottom of the third inning as Aidan Russell and Ben Hopper would walk and single to begin the third inning with an error on Hopper's hit pushing both players into scoring position. A strikeout would get the first out of the inning before Brad Bickmann hit a line drive to shortstop that the Beavers were able to turn into a double play to get out of the jam.
 
A 1-2-3 fourth inning from both teams would bring BVU back to the plate in the fifth where they would connect for a solo shot to go up 6-2. Malachi Santiago would start things with a single in the fifth inning but another double play in the next at-bat would help the Beavers to another scoreless inning.
 
A scoreless sixth inning from Merton brought Bethany back to the plate where they would once again ground into a double play for their third in four innings.
 
Merton would be pushed from the game in the seventh inning after BVU struck for a pair of runs with Jackson Huiras coming on in relief. Huiras would get out of the jam but not before Buena Vista scored another run to lead 9-2 after seven.
 
After a scoreless bottom of the seventh, BVU would scratch three more runs across in the eighth inning for a 12-2 lead. Bethany would get two runners on in both the eighth and ninth but couldn't muster any runs as the Beavers held on for the win.

Hopper and Santiago each had three hits in the contest, while Liam Peterson had two.