ST. PAUL, Minn. – Macalester baseball played another conference double header this evening at Nicholson Field, hosting Bethel. The Royals took game one 18-5. In game two, the Scots made it hard on the Royals, but Bethel came out on top 9-8. Macalester is now 5-16 (1-5 MIAC) while Bethel improves to 10-9 (3-3 MIAC).
 
The Royals took a 5-0 lead after two innings of game one. In the bottom half of the second inning, Macalester hit back-to-back singles and a walk to load the bases. Up to the plate was sophomore Nathan Gumagay (Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill), who walked, which brought home junior Bowman Wingard (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) to make it 5-1. Bethel extended their lead to 10-1 by the fourth. The Scots answered back with three runs in the bottom half of the fourth. Sophomore Niko Alexander (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He was sent home off an RBI single from fellow sophomore Evan Kang (Sherman Oaks, Calif./Village Christian). Then sophomore Stephen Paulsen (Middleton, Wis./Middleton) singled advancing Kang. It was then sophomore Tristan Jones (Fairfield, Conn./Greens Farms Academy) who smashed a double to the outfield to plate Kang and Paulsen. The Royals extended their lead to 17-4 in the next inning. Senior Matt Odom (Glendale, Calif./St. Francis) opened the bottom half of the fifth with a solo home run, scoring Macalester's last run of the game. Bethel plated one more run to take the game 18-5. Jones was 2-for-3 with two RBI's and Odom was 2-for-3 with a home run.

In game two, Jones led off for the Scots with a walk. The next Macalester batter lined out but Jones was able to advance to third on the throw and a Royals error. Wingard hit an RBI single up the middle to plate Jones. Next up, junior Hayes Waddell (North Hampton, N.H./Winnacunnet) doubled. With runners on second and third, sophomore Josh Planko (Northville, Mich./Northville) hit a two RBI single to take a 3-0 lead. Bethel used the next half inning to close the gap to 3-2. However, the Scots grabbed a run in the bottom half, with first year Holden Peacock (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid School) bringing in sophomore Raymond McCaskey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Manitou Springs). In the third, first year Braden LaChapelle (Bethesda, Md./Walter Johnson) cracked a two RBI double to bring in Waddell and Wingard. To lead off the fifth, Waddell drove one out of the park for a 7-2 lead. However, the Royals were able to grab the lead, 9-7, with a run in the sixth and six in the seventh. Macalester fought to comeback, with McCaskey scoring off a sacrifice fly from Wingard in the ninth, but the Scots' rally was cut short and they fell 9-8. Senior Matt Rade (Westborough, Mass./St. John's) pitched the first six innings, giving up just four hits. McCaskey went 3-for-4 with two runs while Waddell went 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI.
 
Macalester's next doubleheader is scheduled for Tuesday April 9. The Scots head to Moorhead, Minn. to take on MIAC opponent Concordia. First pitch is at 2:30 pm.