ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College baseball team played two exciting games against Bethel University in a MIAC doubleheader, winning the first game 6-5 before falling in Game 2, 4-3 Tuesday afternoon at Nicholson Field. The results leave the Scots with a 15-14 record overall, including a 7-7 mark in league play. The Royals are now 16-12, 7-7 MIAC.

In the first game, Macalester got on the scoreboard first in the bottom of the third inning. First year Michael Moreno (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) singled home sophomore Jack Sahargun (Coto de Caza, Calif./Tesoro), then scored along with junior Carl Francalangia (West Hartford, Conn./Loomis-Chaffee School) on a two-run single by first year Soren Roe (Golden Valley, Minn./The Blake School) for a 3-0 lead. Bethel answered with four runs in the top of the sixth inning for a 4-3 edge.

In the bottom of the sixth, Roe led off with a single, followed by a double from senior Jared Abelson (Herndon, Va./South Lakes). First year Lian Lincoln (Anchorage, Alaska/South Anchorage) entered the game as a pinch hitter and delivered a two-run double down the right-field line to put the Scots back on top, 5-4. Later in the inning, senior Graham Low (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont) doubled home Lincoln for a 6-4 lead. The Royals scored a run in the top of the seventh and loaded the bases with one out, but junior pitcher Matthew Plisko (Alpharetta, Ga./Pace Academy) struck out the final two batters to close out the win and earn his first save of the season.

Roe finished with two hits to spark the offense. Sophomore Alex Denzler (New York, N.Y./Trevor Day School) blanked the Royals on five hits and three walks while striking out five in five innings of work. Junior Jacob Simpson (Brooklyn, N.Y./Berkeley Carroll School) earned the win after pitching 2/3 of a scoreless inning in the sixth.

Game 2 also went down to the wire. Low hit a triple in the bottom of the third inning to plate Sahargun for an early lead. Bethel pushed four runs across in the top of the fifth, including three unearned runs following two Macalester errors, to take a 4-1 advantage. Macalester scored a run in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Abelson that brought home first year Anthony Palma (Mooresville, N.C./Lake Norman). Then in the seventh, Abelson hit a solo home run to make the score 4-3 Bethel. The Scots loaded the bases with nobody out in the eighth, but a strikeout and a double play on a lineout to first kept the Royals on top. In the ninth, Macalester loaded the bases again, this time with two down. Pitcher Jake Marsh, who took the loss in Game 1, came on in relief and struck out the final batter to end the game in favor of Bethel.

First year Will Moscato (Berkeley, Calif./Berkeley) had a strong outing in relief, shutting out the Royals over 4 1/3 innings on just one hit, no walks and five strikeouts. Senior Thomas Shogren (Woodbury, Minn./Minnehaha Academy) started and gave up four runs, one earned, on six hits while fanning four and walking one in 4 2/3 innings. Roe, Low and senior Sam Goldberg (North Potomac, Md./Thomas S. Wootton) each had two hits for the Scots.
Macalester plays a non-conference doubleheader at UW-Stout on Thursday, April 25, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in Menomonie, Wis.