Staff Writer- Alayna Boe

At their home turf, the Gustavus Adolphus Men’s Baseball team hosted Bethel University in a doubleheader. Both of these games tested the Gusties and their grit. 

In the first game, Bethel came out swinging and marked six hits and six runs on the board. This initial scoring did not put the Gusties down, but forced them to overcome the adversity and hit back. While they tried, a scoring comeback did not come about, and they went 0-3 in the first inning with two strikeouts.

The second inning saw less scoring, but Bethel still managed to sneak one run in. Their runner advanced from first to home on a double hit out to left-center field. The bottom of this short inning only saw three Gustie batters, with each of them striking out against the Royals’ pitcher.

There was no more scoring on the Bethel side for this game, but they were still hitting the ball well. In the third, the Gusties saw two pitching changes with Junior Benny McDonald being subbed out for Junior Owen Robinson and then Robinson being subbed for First-year Jack Ortale. All of these pitching changes led to Bethel not being able to get into a groove, and their scoring had come to a close.

Gustvaus finally put some up on the board in the fourth inning, scoring three. They also scored one run in both the fifth and sixth innings of this first game. Coming back for a final score of 5-7 after allowing six runs in the first inning shows the determination of the Golden Gusties. So, the first game ended as a win for Bethel, but there was still another game to be played at the Gusties’ home field.

Starting at 3:30 p.m., the second game of this doubleheader was underway. The Gusties were shut out in the first two innings and fell to a 1-0 score right away. Bethel scored in the first inning from their first batter. For the Gusties, Junior Simon James got on base from a single hit out to center field, but he got caught stealing second for the third out in the first. 

Scoring finally came for the Gusties in the third inning, where Junior Daniel Dahl crossed home after a hit single from Senior Ross Hebel. The scoring for the Gusties stayed sporadic throughout the game. In the fifth, seventh, and ninth innings, they scored three runs each. These runs had the Gusties feeling good about their hitting ability, and it was shown during the duration of the game.

Pitching in the top of the fourth proved difficult for the Gusties. The inning started off strong with a Bethel strikeout, but it was then followed by two walks, giving the Royals men on base and in scoring position. Scoring is what the Royals did in this inning, marking five runs with only three hits. They did end the inning with two men still on base, so the Gusties did stop them.

After the fourth inning, the Gusties were trailing 1-7 and were looking for hits and runs. Runs did come in the fifth, and Gustavus got three off of four hits. James hit a home run in this inning, scoring not only himself, but also Junior Brayden Kohls. The fifth proved that the Gusties were still in this game, and there was still a long game left ahead. 

Totaling to almost 3.5 hours, this baseball game saw a lot of action with a final score of 18-11 in favor of the Royals. Up until the ninth inning, the Gusties were in the game, but then they gave up six innings to Bethel and only came back in the bottom to score three. 

With a mix of walks, homeruns, and errors, the top of the ninth was not in favor of the Gusties and Bethel took advantage of that fact. Getting through their batting order fully, and then some, the Royals were advancing and widening their lead to secure an on-the-road sweep. This inning was the final turning point of the game and the Gusties knew they had to come out swinging in the bottom half to either win, or just get to extra innings.

Extra innings were not seen, since Gustavus only got three runs in the bottom of the ninth and had one hit. Three Gusties were left on base, so if a two-out rally had happened, the final of this game could have been different. Alas, the Gusties did lose this home series, but there is still a long way to go until MIACs, and they look to improve their record and flip it into a winning one. Conference play is strong until the beginning of May, so the Gusties will face road and home competition in order to flip their record.