Junior Eric Veglahn limited Bethel to two hits over eight innings and junior Dan Ziemann stroked a grand slam to cap a seven-run seventh as fourth-seed St. Thomas scored a 9-1 victory over the top-seed Royals in Friday's opening game of the MIAC Baseball Tournament in Minnetonka.

The Tommies (23-14-1), who slugged 14 hits, advance into Saturday's winners' bracket of the double-elimination tourney and will face the winner of Friday night's Concordia-St. John's game.

St. Thomas is 6-1-1 over the last 11 days with two victories over 30-win teams (Bethel, Wartburg). The Toms improved to 41-13 all-time in 16 seasons of the conference playoffs.

Bethel (30-8) had just one hit over the first seven innings – Lars Anderson's solo home run in the second inning. The league-champion Royals will have to battle out of the losers' bracket and win four games over the next two days to capture the playoff crown and the automatic berth into the NCAA playoffs.

The Tommies trailed 1-0 through five innings against BU starter Joe Zorn (6-2). But Brady Johnson doubled to start the sixth, took third on a ground out by Ryan Gerber, and scored on Ben Waltz' single.

UST broke through with seven runs in the seventh inning. Zach Gottfredsen singled and was bunted to second base. A.J. Sayer reached on a one-out fielding error. Jimmy Dolan's RBI single put the Toms ahead to stay at 2-1. Johnson's two-run double made it 4-1. Gerber was intentionally walked, and reliever Carson Selin came on and gave up a single to Ryan Zimmerman to load the bases. Ziemann followed with a home run to center to score four and push the lead to 8-1.

Veglahn struck out four and walked three as he improved to 18-1 on his career (4-0 postseason). He avenged a 5-4 loss to the Royals last month in game one of a doubleheader, his only career defeat.