ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – Despite outhitting their hosts on the day, late rallies in both games of the Carleton College baseball team's twin bill with Bethel University spelled doom for the Knights' chances, as they lost 9-1 and 7-6 to the MIAC-leading Royals.
Game 1 – Bethel 9, Carleton 1
The Royals (20-6, 11-1 MIAC) scored first after Drew Girtz tripled to lead off the Bethel first, then scored on a sacrifice fly. Back-to-back Royal hits to open the second took the lead to 2-0. Carleton (6-15, 4-5 MIAC) halved its deficit when
Tyler Vandersall opened the third with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a
Sam Gossard knock to left.
Jack Curtis and Mark Anderson traded donuts on the scoreboard through the fifth. In the bottom of the sixth, the Royals scored seven runs. Those runs were all scored with two outs, with six free passes and an Oran Hinkle grand slam making the final score deceptively lopsided.
Curtis tossed 4.1 innings of four-hit ball, allowing just two runs while walking one.
Thomas Ivey closed that sixth inning by retiring the only batter he faced to limit the damage.
Game 2 – Bethel 7, Carleton 6
This time it was the Knights' turn to blaze out of the gates.
Nathan Barnhart and Gossard ripped ground ball singles through the infield to set up a run-scoring infield hit for
Brandon Damelin in the opening stanza.
Reece Wellsandt and
Adam Rubin cracked singles to open the second, Barnhart was hit by a pitch, and Gossard lined a double into the left-field corner to score two. Barnhart then came in on a productive groundout for a 4-0 Carleton edge that chased Bethel's starter after just 1.2 innings.
The Knights were issued three free passes to begin the third inning, and Rubin and Barnhart helped the maize and blue cash in with RBI singles that opened up a 6-0 lead. All the while,
Charlie Werts was throwing blanks, allowing just one hit through his first four innings of work.
Bethel finally got to the rookie righty in the fifth with a three-run homer by Girtz. Carleton left the bases loaded in the top of the sixth, and Seth Nelson followed with a sixth-inning shot to make the score 6-4 Carleton. In the bottom of the eighth, the league-leading Royals made their move, using a pair of infield singles and a walk to load the bases. Hinkle hit a sacrifice fly to make it a one-run game, and two batters later Chris Cannon hit a go-ahead two-run double that would prove the difference in a tight ballgame where Carleton outhit its hosts 12-10. The Knights outhit Bethel 18-16 across the two contests.
Werts threw 5.0 innings and took the hard-luck no-decision, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks.
Across the double-header, Barnhart went 3-for-7 with a run and RBI. Gossard finished 3-for-8 with a double, a run, and three ribbies.
Ryan Chang registered two hits and a walk in six at-bats. Damelin hit safely three times in seven trips, scoring once and driving in one.
Up Next for the Knights
Carleton looks forward to the long-awaited conclusion of its game with St. Olaf College, with the final three-and-a-half innings of its suspended game set to be made up tomorrow, Thursday, Apr. 16. First pitch at Mel Taube Field is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. The Knights and Oles are tied 8-8 in the bottom of the sixth. Carleton has a runner on first, and no outs.
