NORTHFIELD, Minn. – The St. Olaf College baseball team maintained its unbeaten record at home with a 10-4 victory over Bethel University in game one before game two was suspended due to darkness with the Oles leading 15-6 after seven innings on Thursday at Mark Almli Field.

In the opener, Bethel (13-11, 6-5 MIAC) led 4-3 before St. Olaf (18-9, 8-1 MIAC) scored the final seven runs via multi-run innings in the fourth, fifth, and sixth to improve to 6-0 at home this season. In game two, the Oles put up crooked numbers in each of the first three innings to build a 15-0 lead before the Royals scored six consecutive runs to avoid the run-rule defeat.

Per conference rules, the nine-inning game of the doubleheader must be completed either by playing the full nine innings or by ending early via the run-rule, meaning the game will be finished at a later date. Stats from game two are not official until the game is finished.

Between the two games, St. Olaf honored its senior class of Sean Goldman, Brian Nevin, Derek Hansen, Sam Lavin, Joey Glampe, Brock Brumley, Owen Manning, and Ethan Beltrand, as well as student coaches Will Wamre and Benjamin Reinhard, and their families on the field as part of Senior Day.

The Oles are right back in action on Friday, April 19 with a doubleheader at Macalester College starting at 2:30 p.m. in St. Paul.

St. Olaf 10, Bethel 4 | Box Score

St. Olaf held an early 3-1 lead before Matthew Carlsen put Bethel on top with a three-run double in the top of the fourth. The Oles took the lead right back with two runs in the bottom of the inning and added two runs in the fifth and three in the sixth to take game one.

Junior Evan Hammonds tallied the first four-RBI game of his collegiate career while going 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored out of the leadoff spot. First year Cole Pleimann was 1-for-2 with a walk, a run scored, and a career-high three RBI, while sophomore Mason Buck was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.

Lavin improved to 4-2 on the season after allowing four runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts over the first 5.0 innings. After entering the game with a 7-4 lead, senior Brock Brumley picked up his third save of the season with 2.0 innings of scoreless relief, yielding two hits and two walks with three strikeouts.

After the Royals put a run on the board in the top of the first, Pleimann delivered a two-out, two-run double to right in the bottom of the inning to give the Oles their first lead of the day. Hammonds and junior Matthew Kulesa got on via a walk and a hit-by-pitch to start the inning before coming around to score on Pleimann's opposite-field double.

Pleimann knocked in his third run of the early innings with a sacrifice fly in the third inning to score Kulesa from third after Kulesa was again hit by a pitch to start the inning and got to third on a double by Lavin. Bethel grabbed its only lead of the day when Carlsen cleared the bases with a two-out double to right in the next half inning, giving the visitors a 4-3 lead.

The lead did not last long, however, as St. Olaf responded in its next at bat. Hammonds tied the game at 4-4 with a one-out double to the gap in left center and, after getting to third on a wild pitch, came in to score on Kulesa's single to right center that gave the Oles the lead for good.

St. Olaf took advantage of a wild pitch on a strikeout to start the bottom of the fifth to score two more runs in the inning. With runners on the corners and two outs, Hammonds drove a single to right that scored Nevin and a throwing error on the play allowed Buck to score as well. Hammonds capped his four-RBI day with a two-out, two-run single in the sixth that closed out the scoring after Pleimann scored earlier in the frame on a Bethel error.

St. Olaf 15, Bethel 6 – suspended due to darkness after 7 inn. | No official stats until finished

St. Olaf scored 15 runs over the first three innings to get out to a sizable lead in game two, but Bethel scored the next six runs to stay alive before the game was suspended due to darkness. The Oles tallied 16 of their 19 hits over the first three innings, putting up three runs in the first, eight in the second, and four in the third.

Before the game was suspended, Glampe was 4-for-5 with a double, a home run, two runs scored, and three RBI to record his second four-hit game in the last three games. Lavin and sophomore Christopher Woodside also homered for St. Olaf, which got hits from all nine of its starters, including seven multi-hit performances.

Sophomore Kevin Steel held Bethel scoreless through the first three innings before the Royals put up three runs in the fourth and three in the fifth. Steel finished the day with a career-high seven strikeouts while allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits with three walks over his 5.0 innings of work. In his first appearance since March 26, junior Matthew Oberlander fanned five while allowing just one baserunner – a walk – over 2.0 innings out of the bullpen.

St. Olaf jumped on Bethel starter Max Sutter with three consecutive extra-base hits to open the bottom of the first. Hammonds and Kulesa started the game with back-to-back doubles before Lavin blasted a home run over the right-field fence to quickly make it 3-0 just three batters in.

The Oles continued their torrid start in the second by scoring eight runs on eight hits to chase Sutter. Woodside led off the inning with a solo home run to start a string of eight consecutive batters that reached base to begin the frame. Pleimann provided a two-run single in the inning, while Glampe, Buck, Nevin, and Hammonds all tallied RBI singles to make it 11-0 after two.

St. Olaf ballooned its lead to 15-0 after three with four more runs in the third. After Lavin started the inning with a single, Glampe sent an 0-1 pitch over the fence in straight-away center field for the first two runs of the inning. Later in the inning, sophomore Brendan Goldman drove in a run with a single and Woodside plated another with a sacrifice fly.

Bethel got to Steel with three two-out runs in the fourth before adding three more in the fifth. Nick Carlson tossed 4.0 scoreless innings for the Royals to help the visitors avoid the run-rule defeat, allowing just three hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

Details about when the game will be finished will be posted when available.