MANKATO, Minn. - The Bethany Lutheran softball team won a low scoring affair over Northwestern on Saturday morning as they defeated the Eagles 2-1 in a game that saw just nine total hits. With the win the Vikings move to 21-11 overall and 11-1 in the UMAC while the Eagles fall to 23-11 overall and 10-2 in the conference.
Hear from the Vikings
Here's what head coach Angela Dabua and junior catcher
Aliya Edbom-Kehler had to say about the game.
Dabu
"Great team win today. I'm happy with the effort and energy the team had all weekend."
Kehler
"Was a great day for a ball game! After the tough loss yesterday it was great to come back fired up for game three. Meyer came out with lots of power right away. Our defense stayed strong to back her up. Our bats stayed hot throughout the entire game. It was nice to see our dugout come alive with lots of positive energy. Overall, a well fought game. Always fun to play Northwestern!"
Inside the Box Score
Both pitchers worked around early trouble in the first inning, setting the tone for a tight contest. After Emily Meyer breezed through the top of the second, the Vikings got on the board in the bottom half.
Carly Nelson led off with a double, and Alexis Dahlberg came on as a pinch runner. Jolyne LeClair laid down a bunt to move Dahlberg to third, and Hayven Linn followed with a bunt single. Linn then got into a rundown trying to steal, allowing Dahlberg to score and make it 1–0.
Bethany added another run in the third. Kaija Mork led off with a single, advanced on a sacrifice bunt and a passed ball, and scored on Emily Doyle's sacrifice fly to stretch the lead to 2–0.
The Eagles responded in the fourth with a rally of their own, loading the bases with two singles and a walk and still nobody out. Meyer stayed composed, getting two key popouts, but a wild pitch allowed a run to score before a third popout ended the threat.
That would be the final run of the game, though there was no shortage of drama. In the top of the sixth, Northwestern opened with a ground-rule double and a single, putting runners at second and third. Meyer notched a strikeout for the first out, then fielded a popped-up suicide squeeze attempt and calmly stepped on third base to double off the runner, ending the inning.
Bethany went down quickly in the bottom of the sixth, and Meyer returned to the circle to finish the job in the seventh. She induced two flyouts before capping off the win with a strikeout to secure the 2–1 victory.
Meyer allowed just the one run in the contest and four hits as she struck out three batters in the complete game win. Five different Vikings had hits in the contest with Edbom-Kehler also adding a walk to reach base twice.
Bethany will be back in action on Friday when they host Minnesota Morris on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
