MINNEAPOLIS – Making its 2013 debut on Monday afternoon, the Northwestern College baseball team lost its first game of the year by a 7-2 account to neighboring Bethel University in the Metrodome. While junior Andy Peterson (Rogers, Minn./Rogers) had a solid first outing on the mound, the Royals scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to take a commanding lead that wouldn't be surrendered.

Bethel, batting first as the visiting team on the scoreboard in the first game of Monday's doubleheader, struck first in the third inning after back-to-back singles gave the Royals a man on third base. Mike Whartnaby then picked up an RBI with a groundout to second.

Bethel struck again in the fifth, this time due much in part to a wild inning from Peterson. Luke Schultz struck out swinging, but reached base on a wild pitch. The Royals' eventual run in Schultz took both second and third bases on two more wild balls from the mound before an RBI single by Esteban Abbey brought Schultz home.

Fatigue started to kick in for Peterson, the Eagles' ace, late in the game as consecutive walks put runners on first and second for BU. A Grant Anderson triple down the right field line brought in the Royals' first two runs of the inning. Peterson took responsibility for three more runs even though Connor Olson (Mahtomedi, Minn/Mahtomedi) and Isaac Meredith (Robbinsdale, Minn./Armstrong) finished out the inning on the mound.

Northwestern's first two runs of the season came in the bottom of the seventh frame. Isaac Black (Williston, North Dakota/Williston), who pinch ran for Peterson, scored on a Taylor McMurray (Vadnais Heights, Minn./Totino-Grace) sacrifice fly. Cody Durkee (Wilton, N.D./Wilton) wrapped up the game's scoring with an RBI single to left field that scored Quinn Wohlenhaus (Des Moines, Iowa/Des Moines Christian).

Peterson faced 27 batters in six innings pitched giving up six earned runs along the way, five of which came in that seventh inning. Jake Hanzalik too credit for the win for Bethel, matching Peterson's six frames.

Of the Eagles' five hits, two came from Durkee's bat as the senior went 2-for-4 in his first game back after successful ACL surgery in the fall.

Bethel and Northwestern played a second game in the Metrodome, with the Royals taking that contest as well, this time by a 9-1 score. Josh Balzer (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View) got the nod from Eagles head coach Dave Hieb to start on the hill, but BU, now the home team on the scoreboard, scored multiple runs in the second, third and fourth innings after an Early NWC run in the second.

With David Joseph (Kimball, Minn/Kimball) on second, Peterson ripped a single up the middle to score the sophomore to give Northwestern its first lead of the day, an advantage that didn't last long as the Royals answered with three runs in the bottom half of the inning.

Bethel pitcher Jesse Nickols, who started the first game in center field, retired 10 straight Eagle batters at one point while his team's bats were connecting in the middle frames. Balzer finally got back on track with a no-run fifth inning but NWC was looking up at a six-run deficit.

Drew Stein (Circle Pines, Minn./Centennial) came in to relieve Balzer in the bottom of the sixth and was doing well in his pitching debut before a two-out bloop single up the middle brought in two more runs for the Royals to bump the lead to 9-1.

Northwestern got one more chance to record some hits – and runs – but to no avail as Matt Pryor had a strong seventh inning on the mound for Bethel, effectively wrapping up his team's second victory of the day.

Of the seven runs against Balzer, four were earned as the senior took the loss.

NWC scrounged just three hits, with Aaron Rau (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) and Taylor Kauweloa (Kailua, Hawaii/Damien Memorial) joining Peterson in that category with all three going 1-for-2 in the second round of the twin bill.

Northwestern, who finished 26-16 in 2012, starts its 2013 campaign at 0-2 with more baseball right around the corner as the Eagles will play another Metrodome doubleheader on Thursday, this time against another neighboring institution in Hamline University. The Pipers and Northwestern will start their four and a half hour time period under the Teflon-coated roof at 4:30 p.m. on the 21st.