NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The Carleton College baseball team jumped out to leads in both games of Monday's doubleheader with MIAC-leading Bethel University, but the Knights were not able to keep the conference's top offense down for long as the Royals swept the twinbill, 13-9 and 13-4. First year's
John Hurtubise (Fy./Marysville, Mich./Marysville) and
Sam Chutkow (Fy./Needham, Mass./Needham) led the Knights with four hits apiece.
Game 1 Recap
Bethel 13, Carleton 9
The Knights (5-14, 1-7 MIAC) scored twice in the bottom of the first inning as Hurtubise's single plated both Chutkow and
Sam Zacks (So./Glencoe, Ill./New Trier)
.
Bethel (20-4, 12-0 MIAC) bounced back with three runs in the top of the second before pushing across six unearned runs in the fourth frame.
Carleton responded with four runs in the home half of the fifth frame.
Ryan Chang (Fy./Alameda, Calif./The College Preparatory School) coaxed a bases-loaded walk, and
Ananth Iyer (So./Redmond, Wash./Overlake) followed with a three-run double to left center.
The Royals added three runs in the top of the sixth frame, but Chutkow and Hurtubise had RBI singles and
Asher Stolberg (So./Sherman Oaks, Calif./Campbell Hall) added a run-scoring groundout as the Knights pulled to within 12-9. Bethel tacked on a run via steal of home in the seventh, and Carleton came up empty in the sixth and seventh innings.
Hurtubise, Chutkow, Iyer, and
Steve Antrim each had two hits to lead Carleton. Noah Wenberg went 5-for-5 to pace the Royal offense.
Game 2 Recap
Bethel 13, Carleton 4
Once again, Carleton hopped out a 2-0 lead, this time scoring twice in the bottom of the first inning via a
Jack Hommeyer sacrifice fly and Chang single to right center.
Lefthander
AJ Staff (Sr./Bainbridge Island, Wash./Bainbridge) stated strong, pitching three scoreless innings to maintain the 2-0 lead. The Royals finally solved Staff for six runs in the fourth inning. The Knights bounced back a two-run double by Zacks in the home portion of the inning.
Bethel pulled away with four runs in the sixth and three more in the eighth.
Staff, an All-Region hurler last spring, was solved for six earned runs over 5.2 frames, absorbing the loss in what was likely his last start at Mel Taube Field. Jordan Krupke earned the victory after collecting six strikeouts over 5.0 scoreless innings of relief.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton hosts Gustavus Adolphus College for a 2:30 p.m. Senior Day doubleheader on Wednesday, April 26.
