ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The Macalester College baseball team saw its season come to an end in heartbreaking fashion, as Bethel scored twice in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Scots, 5-4 Sunday afternoon at Bethel. The win gives the Royals (23-15) the best-of-3 series, 2-0, while Macalester's season ends at 8-18. Bethel advances to next week's MIAC Playoffs.

Junior Michael Moreno (Massapequa, N.Y./Massapequa) provided the offense for the Scots early with solo home runs in the first and fourth innings for a 2-0 lead. Senior right-hander Will Madairy (Charlotte, N.C./Providence Day School) held the Royals hitless through 4 1/3 innings and allowed just two singles through six innings. In the bottom of the seventh, Bethel's Ty Koehn hit a three-run home run to give the Royals a 3-2 lead.

After a scoreless eighth inning, the Scots were down to their last out in the top of the ninth when first year Matt Mukai (Foster City, Calif./Aragon) roped a single through the left side to keep Macalester's hopes alive. Senior Jack Sahargun (Coto de Caza, Calif./Tesoro) turned those hopes into reality with a two-run homer, a laser over the leftfield fence, to regain the lead for the Scots, 4-3.

In the bottom of the ninth, senior lefty Jake Greenberg (Mt. Kisco, N.Y./Horace Greeley), who pitched a scoreless eighth, induced the leadoff batter to pop up. However, the infielders were unable to catch the high pop-up, putting the leadoff batter on. The next two batters put down bunt singles to load the bases with nobody out. Greenberg hit the next batter on a pitch near the inside corner of the plate, sending the tying run home. Caleb Brandt followed with a single off the fence in left-centerfield, driving in the game-winning run.

Madairy closed out his career as a Scot with a gem, giving up five hits and three runs while walking one and fanning three in seven innings of work. Moreno went 3-for-4 with two homers, while Sahargun delivered two hits, including the dramatic homer in the ninth.

The loss marked the final game in the Orange and Blue for 10 seniors: Greenberg, Madairy, Sahargun, Leonardo Bucello (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson), Alex Denzler (New York, N.Y./Trevor Day School), Zach Fried (Tai Tam, Hong Kong/Hong Kong International School), Cooper Jensen (Washington, D.C./The Field School), Matt Polemeni-Hegarty (Goldens Bridge, N.Y./John Jay), Andrew Polk (San Mateo, Calif./St. Ignatius College Prep) and Sam Rosevear (Lewisburg, Pa./Lewisburg).