ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The No. 12 Bethel University softball team faced its first set back in the 2022 NCAA Softball Championships falling to Washington University in St. Louis in a winner's bracket game Saturday afternoon, 2-1.
The Royals will play in an elimination game Saturday evening at 4:30 p.m. against the winner of Buena Vista and Bethany Lutheran.
Opportunities were there in each team's first three at bats but a pair were stranded by both squads in the third.
WashU broke the scoreless tie in the half of the third that featured two Bethel errors. The Bears scored their leadoff double with a double. An errant throw into the outfield moved that runner to third who would then score on a dropped fly ball in the outfield.
BU produced its two-out magic as
Lexi DeBace singled and
Mikaela Girard walked.
Kayla Hokanson slapped a 0-1 pitch to left allowing DeBace to score from second.
Since the third, Simacek only allowed two hits the rest of the way while bringing her strikeout total to seven.
A double play to end the sixth and a 1-2-3 seventh ended it putting the Royals into the loser's bracket.
