ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The St. Olaf College softball team recorded its second consecutive split to start Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play by claiming a 5-4 win in game one before Bethel University won game two, 12-4, in five innings on Saturday at Ona Orth Athletic Complex.

After trailing 3-0 through three innings, St. Olaf (9-11, 2-2 MIAC) scored five consecutive runs and held off Bethel (8-16, 3-3 MIAC) in the final half inning to take the opener. The Royals broke game two open early and went on grab a run-rule victory in the second consecutive split between the two programs.

The Oles will be right back in action on Sunday, April 12 with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at Augsburg University.

St. Olaf 5, Bethel 4 | Box Score

St. Olaf took advantage of five Bethel errors to score five unearned runs and got a game-saving defensive play from junior Rylan Nakamura for the final out to thwart Bethel's rally in the bottom of the seventh. Senior Roxanne Ring matched her season high with seven strikeouts in a complete-game performance in the circle.

Ring picked up her fourth victory of the season after allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. The win was the first in the senior's last five starts since a 4-2 victory at Southwestern University on March 18.

First year Joy Jung, senior Abby Nevin, and junior Regan Zak all had two-hit games for St. Olaf, which got all eight of its hits from the 5-9 spots in its batting order. Nevin and Zak were each 2-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI, while Jung and Nakamura each scored once.

Bethel jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first and added a run to its lead on a solo home run by Abby Otterness with two outs in the third. St. Olaf erased its three-run deficit in the top of the fourth, as six consecutive Oles reached base after the first two batters of the inning were retired.

After back-to-back singles by Jung and Nevin, Nakamura reached on an error that would have ended the inning to fill the bases. Zak followed with an RBI single through the left side before senior Belle Schmidt beat out an infield hit to bring in another run. With the bases still filled, senior Elle Brandt was hit by a pitch with the count full to tie the game at 3-3.

The Oles broke the 3-3 tie in the top of the fifth when Nevin delivered a two-out single to score first year Hannah Yaeger, who reached on a dropped fly ball to start the inning. Another Bethel error and a wild pitch contributed to the eventual game-winning run for St. Olaf in the top of the sixth, as Zak led off with a single, moved to second on an error, got to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Narum.

Bethel battled back in the bottom of the seventh, putting two runners on with one out on a double and a walk. After Ring got a strikeout for the second out, Mandalyn Franks doubled to left to score a run, but the other runner was held at third to get Otterness to the plate. With the tying run at third and the winning run at second, Nakamura made a diving stop on a hard ground ball and threw Otterness out from her knees for the final out.

Bethel 12, St. Olaf 4 (5 inn.) | Box Score

Bethel jumped out to an 8-0 lead early in game two and went on to gain a split with a run-rule victory in five innings. The Royals pounded 13 hits and benefited from three St. Olaf errors in the game.

Yaeger was the lone Ole with multiple hits in the loss, going 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, one run scored, and one RBI. Jung, Nevin, and junior Eva Hokanson all picked up a hit and an RBI.

The Royals got a solo home run from Otterness in the first before breaking the game open with five runs in the second and two more in the third to build an 8-0 cushion. St. Olaf got on the board in the top of the fourth when Yaeger led off with a double before scoring on a one-out single by Nevin.

Trailing 9-1, the Oles put together a three-run fifth to get within five. After Zak and Brandt started the inning with consecutive singles, Narum drew a walk to fill the bases for Jung, who hit a single to shallow right to score a run, but a runner was thrown out at third for the first out of the inning. Yaeger followed with an RBI ground out before Hokanson singled in the final run of the inning.

Bethel completed the run-rule win with three runs in the bottom of the fifth, taking advantage of two walks and four wild pitches in the frame.