NORTH NEWTON, Kan. - The Bethel College Softball teamed continued their KCAC homestand as they hosted the Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes. The Threshers dropped a pitchers duel in game one before picking up the extra inning victory in game two.
 
GAME 1, L 6-0
 
The Thresher starter in the circle, Rachel Duer, didn't give up a hit until the fourth inning when KWU used a single to score the game's first run. Duer didn't allow another runner to reach base until the seventh inning when the Coyotes were finally able to rattle her. Kansas Wesleyan struck for five runs in the seventh, all credited to Duer to make her line look much worse than her performance on the afternoon. The Threshers had ample opportunity to tie the game or even take the lead before KWU made the game hard to reach. Bethel stranded 5 runners on base in the first six innings and two in the seventh. Of the seven stranded runners, four were at second or third base.
 
Dakota Piovesan - 2 for 3
Marissa Harrison - 1 for 2, BB
 
GAME 2, W 9-8 8 inn.
 
Bethel started the scoring in the top of the first when they put up four runs capped by a three-run homerun by Piovesan. The Threshers added a run in the fourth inning when Cynae Wiley drove in Karlie Stephens with an RBI single. Kansas Wesleyan got on the board in the sixth inning when they pushed two runs across. The Coyotes scored four runs on a grand slam in the top half of the seventh to take their first lead of the contest. In the bottom half, Harrison came through in the clutch with a solo shot to left field tying the contest and forcing extra innings. After KWU used a sacrifice bunt that was popped up and thrown away to take the lead in the eighth, they pushed another run across with a single to go up 8-6. Sidney Smith was able to get an RBI single to start the extra inning for Bethel. They were able to load the bases up for Amber Mott who hit a ball to the KWU third baseman. The Coyote fielder then threw the ball off of Smith's head allowing her and Wiley to score putting Bethel back on top 9-8.
 
Cynae Wiley - 4 for 4, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB
Sidney Smith - 2 for 3, RBI, R, SAC
Taylor Sanfillippo - 2 for 4, RBI, R, BB
Marissa Harrison - 2 for 4, RBI, HR, R
 
The Threshers will be back in action on Tuesday, March 28th as they travel to Kansas City to take on the Avila Eagles with first pitch of the doubleheader scheduled for 2:00 PM.