ARDEN HILLS, Minn. - The Macalester College baseball team used strong pitching and timely hitting to defeat Bethel University, 3-1 in the first game of a scheduled MIAC doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Hargis Park. The second game has been moved to Thursday, Apr. 27. The win gives the Scots an overall record of 21-12, including a 10-5 mark in league play. The Royals, who entered the day in a tie for first with St. Thomas, drop to 25-6, 10-3 MIAC.

In the top of the first, sophomore Jared Abelson (Herndon, Va./South Lakes) led off the game with a walk, then moved to second on a grounder by junior Alex Baretta (Pittsburgh, Pa./Central Catholic). Junior Nick McMullen (Payson, Ariz./Payson) followed with a single that plated Abelson with the game's first run. Then in the third, senior Quentin Stuart (Nashville, Ind./Nashville) followed a walk by sophomore Graham Low (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont) and a sacrifice bunt from junior Ben Castagnetti (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) with a two-run blast for a 3-0 lead. The home run was Stuart's team-leading sixth of the season.

In the bottom of the third, Bethel loaded the bases with nobody out on two singles and a hit-batsman. But senior pitcher Dylan Edwards-Gaherty (New York, N.Y./American Studies) induced a pop-up and a grounder that Castagnetti, Stuart and McMullen turned into an inning ending double play. The Royals scored a run in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 3-1, but that's all they would get off of Edwards-Gaherty, who went the distance for the victory.

Edwards-Gaherty gave up one run on eight hits while striking out three and walking one in seven innings to improve to 4-1 on the season. Stuart also singled in addition to his home run.

Macalester, which remains in fourth place in the MIAC standings, will play Bethel on Thursday, Apr. 27 at 3:00 p.m. in Arden Hills, Minn.