ST. PAUL, Minn. – With the UMAC regular season title and hosting rights on the line, the University of Northwestern and Bethany Lutheran squared off in the conclusion of the UMAC Series of the Week on Senior Day. The Eagles won big in the opening game, 9-1, but fell in a much more contested game, 7-9. Earning the split with BLC, UNW secured a share of the regular season championship for the third time in program history and the first time since 2008, along with the No. 1 seed in next weekend's UMAC Tournament.
GAME ONE
Lani Schoper (Madison Lake, Minn./Mankato West) picked up right where she left off, kick-starting the offense by reaching base, stealing second, and scoring the first run of the afternoon on a ball to the wall from Emma Edwards (Ham Lake, Minn./Blaine). Bethany Lutheran responded in the top of the third with one run and threatened for more, but Hannah Lexvold (Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake Area) delivered defensively, tagging a runner out at home to keep the game tied at one.
Northwestern regained control in the bottom half of the inning. Emma Morrissey (Wasilla, Alas./Colony) sparked the rally with a triple before scoring on a bunt from Hannah Storey (Big Lake, Minn./Monticello) that was mishandled, allowing both runners to reach safely. Bryn Anderson (Hutchinson, Minn./Hutchinson) followed with a deep double to score Storey, then advanced to third to cap the inning.
The Eagles broke things open in the fifth. Anderson drove in Storey with a line shot up the middle, and Edwards followed with another single to keep the momentum rolling. Kate Trump (Faribault, Minn/Bethlehem Academy) then worked a walk to load the bases for the UNW home run leader, Gabrielle Keith (Marble Rock, Iowa/Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock). In a perfectly scripted moment, Keith hit the grandest of slams to take the 8-1 lead.
Keith was the proud owner of the home run bat for the rest of the inning and the top of the sixth before Storey called game and crushed a solo homer to go up 8 and enforce the run rule 9-1. It marked just the second time this season Bethany Lutheran was defeated in fewer than seven innings.
At the plate, Edwards went 2-2 with an RBI, Anderson finished 2-3 with two RBI, and Storey added two hits, one RBI, and three runs scored. Keith's lone hit accounted for four runs. Ireland Strubbe (Chandler, Ariz./Valley Christian) was dominant in the circle, tossing all six innings with seven strikeouts while allowing just four hits and one run. She improved to 15-4 on the season as Northwestern moved to 16-1 in conference play, clinching at least a share of the regular season title.
Between games, Northwestern honored its seniors: Schoper, Keith, Strubbe, Jenna Nusbaum (Blaine, Minn./Spring Lake Park), and Emma Miller.
GAME TWO
The finale played out much differently, as the Eagles and Vikings battled in a high-scoring back-and-forth contest. Bethany Lutheran ultimately claimed a 9-7 win, earning a share of the regular season championship.
The Vikings struck first with two runs in the opening inning before Addisyn Hansen (Tea, S.D./Tea Area) closed the frame with back-to-back strikeouts. Northwestern answered immediately, as consecutive singles from Schoper, Storey, and Anderson brought Schoper home. Trump followed with a fielder's choice to score Anderson and tie the game.
After holding Bethany Lutheran in check, the Eagles took the lead in the second. Lexvold reached to start the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kate Van Ess (Luxemburg, Wis./Luxemburg Casco), and scored on a fielding error off Morrissey's bunt attempt to give Northwestern a 4-2 edge.
Bethany Lutheran responded in the middle innings, reclaiming momentum with a four-run fourth inning, highlighted by a three-run home run, and added two more runs in the fifth to build a lead the Eagles could not fully overcome.
Northwestern continued to battle late. The Eagles plated three runs over the final two innings, including Lexvold's second career home run, a two-run shot in the seventh, to pull within two. However, the comeback fell just short as the Vikings recorded the final out.
Storey led the offense, going 3-4 with an RBI. Schoper, Edwards, and Lexvold each recorded two hits and scored once, with Lexvold adding two RBI. Anderson and Keith accounted for Northwestern's remaining hits.
In the circle, UNW utilized four pitchers with Strubbe and Kailynn Duncan (Barron, Wis./Barron) combining for one inning and one strikeout. Hansen started and finished the game, recording three strikeouts and five hits. Morrissey entered in relief in the top of the third before she made her exit in the top of the fifth.
With the split, both teams finished 16-2 in conference play, sharing the UMAC regular season title. Northwestern held the tiebreaker, earning the No. 1 seed and the right to host the UMAC Championship Tournament at Reynolds Field on May 7-8. The Eagles will take on the No. 4-seeded Morris Cougars on Thursday at 4:30 PM.
