Opening the day in an elimination game, Bethany fought off UW-Stevens Point to extend its season. But after one more hard-earned victory, the Vikings' postseason journey came to a close against Saint Mary's, ending a remarkable back-to-back UMAC championship season on the regional stage.
Game 1 — Bethany Lutheran 1, UW-Stevens Point 0
With their season on the line, the Vikings delivered one of their grittiest wins of the year.
Bethany broke through in the third inning when Olivia Sanborn and Bryn Weidner helped set the table before Emily Doyle delivered the game's biggest hit — an RBI single to right that scored Sanborn for the game's only run.
That single run was enough because Emily Meyer was dominant in the circle. Meyer tossed a complete-game shutout, navigating scattered base runners while consistently shutting down Stevens Point's offense in pressure moments. Bethany's defense backed her up, including a clutch caught stealing in the seventh inning that helped slam the door shut.
The Vikings had chances to add insurance, loading the bases in the fifth, but even without extra runs, Meyer and the defense made the slim lead stand.
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Game 2 — Saint Mary's 9, Bethany Lutheran 0
After surviving one elimination game, Bethany returned for a second winner-take-all battle but ran into a Saint Mary's team that slowly took control before breaking things open late.
For four innings, the Vikings held firm in a scoreless contest, matching Saint Mary's pitch for pitch. But in the fifth, Saint Mary's used small ball to manufacture the first run, then erupted in the sixth with five runs on aggressive base running, timely doubles, and capitalized defensive mistakes.
Saint Mary's added three more in the seventh to put the game away.
Bethany struggled to generate offense throughout, managing only a handful of hits while Saint Mary's pitching kept the Vikings from mounting sustained rallies. Emily Doyle's seventh-inning single marked Bethany's final hit of the season.
