MANKATO, Minn. – The Bethany Lutheran softball team had the No. 1 seed in the UMAC Tournament locked up as they hosted UW-Superior on Sunday afternoon where they split with the Yellowjackets, winning a 2-1 contest before falling 5-3 in game two. The Vikings conclude the regular season 28-12 overall and 20-1 in the UMAC.
Bethany Lutheran 2 – 1 UW-Superior
Kaija Mork got the start on the mound for Bethany in game one, and after recording the first two outs of the game found herself in some trouble after back-to-back hits. The Yellowjackets would then get another base hit up the middle but Haley Stockman would throw out the runner trying to score to keep things scoreless after one.
After the three hits in the first inning, Mork settled in, allowing just one hit over her next five innings of work to keep UWS scoreless through six. Unfortunately for Mork, UW-Superior ace Taylor Kraemer didn't allow a hit the first three innings until Emily Doyle knocked a base hit to open the fourth. Kraemer work would around the hit though to keep things scoreless.
After a scoreless fifth from both teams, the Vikings would get two outs in the fifth before Doyle made a tough catch look easy with some quick reactions at third base to take away an extra base hit and bring Bethany to the plate in the bottom half.
Bailey Erlandson would reach on a throwing error by the catcher after a well-placed bunt to open the inning and Katelyn Halbach followed the error up with a bunt for a hit to put two runners on base. After a foul out, Doyle would step to the plate and hit a groundball to second base that Halbach would make tough on the second basemen with some good baserunning as the UWS player couldn't field the grounder and it kicked away and allowed Erlandson to come around to score for the first run of the day. Halbach, who advanced to third on the play, would then come around to score on an Ana Christofferson groundout to put the Vikings up 2-0 heading to the seventh.
Kayla Senne came in to pitch in the seventh and allowed a walk to open things up. After a foul ball dropped due to a miscommunication from the Vikings, the Superior hitter made them pay with a base hit to put a pair of runners on. The Yellowjackets would then place a bunt down the third base line, with Doyle making a heads up play and getting the runner at second to keep the game-tying run at first. A passed ball would then allow each runner to advance with UWS scoring their first run and placing the tying run at second. Senne would get a strikeout and walk a batter to put the go-ahead run on first, before another strikeout would end the game.
Bethany had just two hits in the contest, while they allowed only five. Mork got the win on the mound, allowing no runs in six innings of work while striking out three. Senne got the save in relief, picking up two strikeouts and allowing no earned runs.
UW-Superior 5 – 3 Bethany Lutheran
The bats for both teams woke up in game two, as the Yellowjackets were fighting to claim the two seed while Bethany was aiming to go a perfect 21-0 in conference.
Jade Krenik got the start on the mound in game two, and like her fellow sophomore Mork, threw well in the early going. She would toss a 1-2-3 first inning before working around a walk in the second to keep UWS scoreless.
The Bethany offense picked her up in the bottom of the second, as Ana Christofferson got things going with a single to left. Stockman then reached on a fielding error before Aliya Kehler reached on an infield single to load the bases. Jolyne LeClair would groundout to shortstop to bring home the first run of the game, before Bailey Erlandson slapped a double to left and brought home another run. UWS would work its way out of the jam, cutting down a run at the plate on a fielder's choice and getting a groundout to end the inning.
Both teams played a scoreless third inning before the Yellowjacket bats finally got going in the fourth. They would get four hits in the inning including three in the gaps in the outfield to bring in three runs and take their first lead of the day at 3-2.
UWS would add a pair of runs in the fifth to push their lead to three runs, before Halbach would get on base with a bunt single and Doyle roped a double to left to bring Halbach home and cut the deficit to 5-3 with two innings to play.
After Mork took to the mound and tossed a 1-2-3 top of the sixth, Krenik would reach base to begin a Vikings rally in the bottom half. Erlandson would bunt for a single before Halbach reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases with two outs. Mork almost put herself in line for the win as she stepped up and hit one down the right field line that would have cleared the bases, but the Yellowjacket right fielder made a tough running catch to end the threat.
Mork would toss another 1-2-3 top of the seventh before Bethany's offense took their last gasp in the bottom half. The Viking would get a pair of hits to put runners on the corners with two outs, but a fielder's choice would end things.
Krenik took the loss on the mound, working five innings and allowing four runs, while Mork worked two innings of scoreless relief. Doyle, Kehler and Erlandson all tallied two hits for Bethany, with Doyle and Erlandson each notching RBIs.
