Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 MANKATO, Minn. - The Bethany Lutheran softball team Friday played a pair of close contests with Gustuavs, dropping the first 5-4 before a 7-3 decision in game two. With the results the Vikings fall to 10-8 on the season while the Gusties also move to 10-8. 

Hear from the Vikings

Here's what Head Coach Angela Dabu had to say after the games, "Heading into the conference season, I'm excited about where we're at. We played some tough nonconference teams and are continuing to learn, grow, and play together."

Inside the Box Score

Gustavus 5 - 4 Bethany
The Gusties got things off to a hot start, as Kayla Herda would drive the first pitch of the game over the left field fence for the 1-0 lead. 

Gustavus would then add two more runs in the second innings before Kaija Mork blasted a solo home run in the bottom half to make it 3-1.

The home runs continued and the third of the game was in favor of the Vikings as Emily Nelson would blast a line drive down the left field line and over the fence to bring the deficit to 3-2. 

The Gusties would put together three hits in the top of the third inning to take a two-run lead before things went scoreless for two innings. Gustavus would break the stalemate as they would strike again for one more in the sixth to gain a 5-2 edge. 

Bethany would answer back in the bottom of the sixth as they got four hits with Aliya Edbom-Kehler and Orla Keys knocking RBI singles to bring the deficit back to one run at 5-4. 

Emily Meyer would finish her seventh inning of work in the contest with a 1-2-3 inning with two punchouts to bring Bethany back up looking to even the score in the seventh. A one-out error from Gustavus would put a runner on before a two out hit from Mork kept the game going but the Gusties would get a strikeout to seal the win. 

Mork had a huge game at the plate, tallying four hits while six other Vikings added one. 

Gustavus 7 - 3 Bethany

A pair of doubles in the bottom of the first in game two from Gustavus gave them another first inning lead.  The next runs wouldn't come until the third inning as the Gusties would use three singles and a pair of walks to plate two more runs and make it 3-0. 

Emily Nelson would put the Vikings on the board in the top of the fourth with an RBI single, but Gustavus would answer back in the bottom of the inning with a run to push it back to a three run buffer. 

Keys would then triple in the sixth inning and it was Hayven Linn who had a big pinch hit at-bat as she lined one into left field to cut the deficit to two runs at 4-2. Unfortunately for Bethany, the Gusties would tack on three more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and a solo shot from Emily Doyle in the seventh wasn't enough as they fell 7-3. 

Doyle led Bethany in game two with three hits, while Keys and Emily Nelson each had two. 

Bethany will next be in action on Friday when they travel to Martin Luther for their conference opener at 3 p.m.