MANKATO, Minn. – Playing on an unseasonably warm March afternoon, Bethany baseball greeted its home crowd to a doubleheader sweep over Martin Luther on Saturday at ISG Field. The Vikings (8-2, 2-0 UMAC) cruised to a 13-1, seven-inning victory in game one and then won 10-2 in the second game.
Bethany 13, Martin Luther 1 (7 inn.)
The Knights struck first in the opening frame with a run, but the lead was short-lived as the Vikings plated two in the bottom half. Gary Swann doubled home Max Athmann and then scored on a single by Vincent Curzie.
Bethany took a 5-1 lead in the second after Jayden Knutson hit a two-run single and then came home on a little league home run with a three-base error in the outfield. Knutson scored again in the fourth on another error for a 6-1 advantage and two more were plated in the fifth as Swann hit another RBI double and then scored on yet another error.
Xander Meissner hit an RBI sac fly in the sixth followed by Knutson coming home on a failed pickoff attempt. Swann continued his hot streak at the plate with a two-run blast over the left field fence to go up 12-1. The final run was scored on an RBI double by Yunior Pena Torres.
Aidan Byrd improved to 3-0 on the mound after six innings. He allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts. Quentin Holmes and Mitchell Cox closed out the final frame.
Swann batted 3-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, two doubles, and a home run.
Bethany 10, Martin Luther 2
Game two started as a pitchers' duel with no runs scored through four innings until the Vikings broke the ice with a couple runs in the fifth. Joshua Miller led off with a double to right followed by a bunt single by Knutson and an infield single by Kyle Carlberg to load the bases. Meissner then drove in a run on a ground out and Swann plated another with a sac fly.
Nate Hoffman went 5.1 strong innings, allowing just two hits with nine strikeouts while improving to 3-0. Tyson Reger came in relief and tossed the next 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. He struck out three without allowing a hit.
Bethany added a pair of runs in the sixth as Knutson hit a two-run single to left center, scoring Jared Harry and Seth Jones.
The Vikings blew the game open in the seventh with four more runs. Curzie and Jones each hit RBI singles, and Curzie scored on a double play. Miller followed with an RBI single up the middle making it 8-0. Â
Ethan Lung entered the game in the eighth and the Knights were able to tag him for a couple runs on as many hits, but the Vikings got those runs right back in the bottom half as Meissner hit a two-run homer off the video board in right.
Ceaden Willaert closed out the game on the mound with a pair of strikeouts.
Carlberg led at the plate, batting 3-for-4 with a double and hit-by-pitch. Knutson, Meissner, Swann, and Miller had two hits apiece.
Bethany and Martin Luther close out the UMAC series at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
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