MANKATO, Minn. - Bethany softball won both games Saturday on day three of its invitational at the Maverick All-Sports Dome. The Vikings started the morning with a swift 8-1 victory over Dominican, followed by a prolonged 16-13 win over UW-River Falls, improving to 5-1 overall. 

Bethany 8. Dominican 1

Playing as the visitors, the Vikings opened the game with a run in the first as Olivia Sanborn walked, stole second, and scored on a double by Emily Doyle. The Vikings then piled on four runs on three hits in the third. Addie Ahern singled and later scored on an error. Sanborn, who reached on the error, scored on another double by Doyle. Doyle then scored on another error, and Bryn Weidner crossed home on a single by Orla Keys. 

Dominican finally got to pitcher Emily Meyer in the fifth with a run on two hits, but the Vikings answered with three more runs in the seventh. Sanborn singled and scored on Doyle's third double of the game. Doyle scored on a single by Keys, and Keys scored on a double by Meyer. 

Doyle batted 3-for-4 with three doubles, three RBI, and two runs. Meyer earned the complete game win after striking out 13 batters. 

Bethany 16, UW-River Falls 13

Bethany started the scoring onslaught right away in the first with five runs on just one hit. The Vikings drew five walks in the frame and Keys had the big hit with a three-run triple which was benefited by hitting a cable above the center fielder. 

The Falcons scored one in the bottom half after a pair of hits and the Vikings returned the favor with three runs in the second. Aliya Edbom-Kehler hit an RBI ground-rule double, and Ahern followed with a two-run triple. 

River Falls started the chip away in the bottom half with five runs on two hits and an error, chasing Joie Koll off the pitching rubber. Koll allowed six runs on four hits in 1.1 innings. Meyer came in relief and pitched the rest of the game. 

The Vikings went ahead 11-6 with three more runs on the third. Sanborn hit an RBI infield single and Doyle hit a two-run single. Bethany then took what seemed to be a comfortable 13-6 lead in the fourth after Paige Haala hit an RBI single and then scored on a throwing error. 

The Falcons responded with seven runs in the bottom half on five hits to tie the game at 13, but the Vikings had another answer as Edbom-Kehler hit a two-run homer, which proved to be the game-winning hit. 

Meyer earned the win after 5.2 innings of relief. She allowed seven earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts. Sanborn, Doyle, Edbom-Kehler, and Keys had two hits apiece. 

Bethany concludes its dome invitational tomorrow afternoon against Carleton and Gustavus. 
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