MANKATO, Minn. – The Bethany Lutheran baseball team Thursday hosted Macalester College for a non-conference double header and defeated the Scots 7-3 in game one before falling 17-3 in game two. With the results the Vikings move to 15-8 overall while the Scots move to 7-22.
Bethany 6 – 3 Macalester (7 innings)
After a scoreless first inning for both teams, the Vikings would run into some trouble in the second. The first two Scots would reach base, before a walk with one out loaded the bases. One run would end up scoring for Macalester but a pair of strikeouts would help get Bethany out of the inning.
The Vikings would respond in the bottom of the second in a big way, with consecutive two-out singles from Malachi Santiago and Tyler Rodgers bringing in the innings first run. Both players would then steal a base to put two in scoring position, before a Scot error followed by a Eli Fest single would make the score 3-1.
Following a scoreless third, Macalester would use three doubles in the top of the fourth inning to bring a pair of runners across and bring the score to 3-3. With a runner still in scoring position, Tyson Reger would come on and get a groundout to get the Vikings out of the inning.
Josh Robb would lead off the bottom half with a single to center field before a Santiago double off the left field wall would put two in scoring position. Rodgers would get an the first RBI for Bethany, reaching via an error to keep two on and nobody out. A sac bunt would put two into scoring position but the Scots would get two outs with runners in scoring position to get out of the inning.
Reger would toss a scoreless fifth inning to bring Bethany back to the plate where Rodgers would come up big again, knocking a two-out 2-RBI double down the left field line to make the score 6-3 headed to the sixth.
Caleb Randolph would come in to close the door for the Vikings, tossing a scoreless sixth and seventh to secure the victory.
Fest, Robb, Santiago, and Rodgers all had multiple hits in the game with Rodgers driving in four runs to lead the charge.
Reger got the win in relief tossing 1.1 scoreless innings, while Randolph picked up the save as he struck out three and allowed no hits on two innings of work.
Macalester 17 – 3 Bethany
In the bottom of the first inning of game two, Aidan Russell would steal third base and after a throwing error from Macalester would scamper home for the games first run to make the score 1-0.
Things would then play scoreless for the next two innings, with Bethany starting pitcher Adryen Tietz holding the Scots at bay. They would break through in the fourth, using two walks and a single followed by a bases clearing triple to make the score 3-1. A sacrifice fly in the next at-bat would make it 4-1 after four innings.
Macalester would tack on two more runs in the fifth inning thanks to a home run before Bethany answered in the bottom half. Russell would draw a bases loaded walk to make the score 6-2, but the Scots would evade the remaining threat to hold a four run lead after five innings.
A two-run shot by Macalester in the sixth inning was answered by a solo home run from Reed Brown in the bottom half as the Vikings trailed 8-3 headed to the seventh.
In the games final inning, Macalester would use three walks, two singles, and three home runs to plate nine more runs and seal the victory at 17-3.
Tietz took the loss on the mound, tossing five innings and allowing six runs while striking out five hitters.
The Vikings will be back in action Friday at 3 p.m. as they return to UMAC action against Northwestern.
