TUCSON, Ariz. - Bethany baseball concluded its spring break trip with a 12-7 win over Wheaton (Ill.) on Monday, improving to 6-2 overall.Â
Xander Meissner got things going right away with a solo home run in the first. Wheaton answered with a run in the bottom half before the Vikings tallied 10 runs over the next four frames.Â
In the second, Max Athmann scored on an error and Jayden Kopp scored on a single by Kyle Carlberg. In the third, Meissner hit an RBI ground-rule double and Athmann plated three runs with a double down the left field line for a 7-1 lead. And in the fourth, Meissner hit another RBI double, Gary Swann hit an RBI single, and Yunilor Pena hit a two-run single for an 11-1 advantage.Â
The Thunder scored once in the fourth, twice in the sixth, and three more in the seventh, cutting the deficit to four, but that was it for the home team on the scoreboard. Joshua Miller hit a sac fly in the ninth for the final run.Â
Nate Hoffman earned the win after five innings on the mound. He allowed four runs on five hits with six strikeouts. Drew Hedtke, Jaden Case, Caeden Willaert, Ethan Lung, and Sean Gamble saw time on the mound. Meissner led at the plate, batting 4-for-5 with three runs, three RBI, and a walk.Â
Bethany hosts Bethel at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday for its home opener.Â
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