ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Macalester College softball team closed out its home schedule with a pair of losses to Bethel, 13-1 and 9-5, in a MIAC doubleheader Thursday afternoon at the Macalester Softball Complex. The Scots are now 6-12 in the conference and overall, while the Royals are now 23-7, 16-4 MIAC.

Bethel put four runs on the board in the top of the first inning of Game 1, setting the tone for the day. In the bottom of the third, back-to-back doubles by first year Elsa Church (St. Louis, Mo./Kirkwood) and junior Emily Bergin (Houston, Texas/St. Thomas Episcopal School) gave the Scots their only run of the game. After a run in the top of the fourth, the Royals put the game out of reach with an eight-run fifth inning. Seven of the runs in the fifth and a total of 10 runs in the game were unearned. Macalester committed six errors in the loss.

In the second game, Bethel scored a pair of unearned runs in the first inning and three runs in the second to lead, 5-0. This time, the Scots answered with a big inning in the bottom of the third. Seniors Kennedy Kechely (Rochester, Minn./Mayo) and Kate Lawhead (Battle Ground, Wash./Prairie) had run-scoring singles, junior Mackenzie Clarke (Redwood City, Calif./Sequoia) hit a two-run double, and senior Anya Lindell Paulson (St. Louis Park, Minn./St. Louis Park) doubled home Lawhead to tie the score at 5-5.

The Royals scored a run in the top of the fourth, then pushed three runs across in the top of the fifth to lead 9-5. Macalester put runners in scoring position in the fourth and fifth innings but were unable to produce the key hit, as the Scots lost their fifth straight game. Clarke and Lawhead had two hits apiece in Game 2.

The Scots will take on Hamline in a MIAC doubleheader on the road on Saturday, May 1. The first game starts at 1:00 p.m. in St. Paul.