Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

The Macalester softball season came to a close on Tuesday evening, dropping a pair to the Bethel Royals. The Scots fell 6-4 in the first game, and were outslugged by the Royals in the second game 11-6. Macalester ends the 2014 season with a .500 (20-20) overall record and finish in eight place in the conference (8-14).
 
Macalester struck first in the third inning, after Abby Cox (So., Fort Worth Texas / Fort Worth Country Day) singled home Anna Munson (Jr., LaCrosse, Wis. / Central). Cleo Nagy (Sr., Eugen, Ore. / Henry D. Sheldon), the following hitter, reached on a throwing error from Bethel pitcher Lindsey Edeen, which also scored Cox and gave the Scots a 2-0 edge. However, the Royal countered with a five-spot in the bottom half of the inning to take a three-run lead.
 
Edeen settled down after the third as the Scots were only able to muster one hit and two baserunners between the fourth and sixth inning. However, like they have done all season, the Scots posed a threat in the final inning. Miranda Stokes (Jr., Perry Utah / Box Elder) hit a two-out two-RBI single to score Saraswati Wilson (Jr., Olathe, Kan. / Olathe Northwest) and Cox the cut the deficit to 6-4. Yet with the winning run at the plate, Cleo Nagy grounded out to second, ending the Scots late rally.
 
Brittany Ehmann (Jr., Island Lake, Ill. / Wauconda) took the loss for the Scots and drops to 9-9 on the season. She went five innings and struck out four Royals, but allowed five earned runs.
 
The second game did not begin well for the Scots, as Bethel shortstop Angie Jackson jacked a leadoff home run to right center field. The Royals tallied two more runs in the third to take a 3-0 lead. However, Nagy tied for the game for the Scots with one swing of the bat, delivering a three-run home run in the top of the fourth. Yet for the second consecutive game, the Royals again responded from a Macalester threat. They poured on seven runs in the bottom of the fourth make it 10-3 in the Royal's favor.
 
In the fifth inning Cox collected her sixth home run of the season when she sent a two-run homer over the fence. Nagy added on to her RBI total with an RBI single later in the inning; she collected four RBI in her final collegiate game. However, the Royals tacked on another run on the sixth and went on to an 11-6 victory.
 
Stokes started the game and picked up the loss for the Scots in the second contest, despite allowing only three earned runs and striking out five hitters.
 
The Scots will lose Nagy and pitcher Alisha Barritt (Sr., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma / Oklahoma School of Science and Math), but will return most of their core headlined by a strong rising senior class.
 
With the two victories, the Royals qualified for the MIAC playoffs, which will be co-hosted by Macalester this weekend. 

_{Photo Above: Cleo Nagy collected four RBI including a three-run home run in her final softball game as a Scot}