ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Bethany Lutheran softball team extended their winning streak to 14 games on Friday afternoon as they defeated the Eagles of Northwestern 7-1. With the win the Vikings move to 20-9 overall and 10-0 in the UMAC while the Eagles fall to 15-10 overall and 6-1 in conference play.
This one was a pitchers duel through the games first two innings, with both teams being held scoreless.
Bethany would break through for a pair of runs in the top of the third as
Emily Doyle would smash a double into the right center field gap to score two for the early lead.
Katelyn Halbach and
Sydney Jacobs would score on the play, each reaching base with two outs in the inning before Doyle's hit.
After another scoreless inning from
Kayla Senne on the mound, the Vikings would push another run across in the fourth as
Emily Nelson and
Ana Christofferson would each reach base via a hit to start the threat. Halbach would later hit one hard up the middle with two outs, with Northwestern's pitcher unable to field it as a run would score to make it 3-0.
Northwestern would push their first run across in the bottom fo the fourth, as a walk to open the inning would come back to bite Senne. A stolen base followed by the runner getting to third on a ground ball would put her 60 feet away with two outs. Senne would get a strikeout to end the inning but not before a wild pitch during the at-bat allowed the runner to come home to make it 3-1.
Following a 1-2-3 fifth inning from both teams, the Vikings would all but put this one away in the sixth. The first three Viking hitters would reach base before Halbach and Jacobs picked up back-to-back RBI at-bats.
Kaija Mork would then step up with two outs and the bases still loaded and knock a single through the right side to make the score 7-1 headed to the bottom of the sixth.
Senne would work around a pair of hits in the sixth and a double in the seventh to close the door and seal the win for Bethany. She tossed all seven in this one, allowing just four hits and striking out 11 in the win.
Halbach, Nelson, and Christofferson led the Vikings with two hits apiece in this one with Halbach also adding two RBI.
Bethany will be back at it again tomorrow when they take on the Eagles in a doubleheader in St. Paul beginning at 1 p.m.
