<ite three more hits by Kiyota Gomi ‘12 and Ray Yong ‘14 reaching base in five of his six plate appearances, the Carleton College baseball team found runs hard to come by during a late-night Metrodome doubleheader.
The Knights came up short versus Bethany Lutheran College by the scores of 5-1 and 4-0. The first pitch of the opener was delivered at 9:45 p.m. and the final out of the nightcap was recorded around 1:15 a.m.
“We just need to tighten up the defense early and have a couple clutch hits, and we have a chance to change the outcomes,” said Carleton head coach Aaron Rushing. “I tip my cap to Bethany Lutheran as they played outstanding baseball for 14 innings.”
Carleton (1-2) took the early lead in the opener, scoring its lone run of the night in the bottom of the first. Gomi singled with one out and advanced to third on a double by catcher Alex Wirta ‘12. Designated hitter Jeff Dsida ‘14 followed with an RBI groundout.
The Vikings (3-1) responded with three runs in the top of the second, highlighted by Adam Geiger’s RBI double. He finished the two games with Bethany Lutheran’s only two extra-base hits and a total of five RBI.
The Knights had a great chance to close the gap in the fifth, loading the bases with one out and the heart of the order coming up. But a lineout and a flyout extinguished that rally. Bethany Lutheran tacked on single tallies in the sixth and seventh via sacrifice flies.
Anderson Cole ‘14 absorbed the loss, yielding three runs over 5.0 innings. Aaron Siefken went the distance for BLC, striking out nine.
Game two saw Carleton once again threaten early. Wirta doubled with two out in the first but was cut down trying to score on Yong’s single. The Knights got only one more runner in scoring position after that frame.
Carleton ace Paul Dimick ‘12 pitched well but had little to show for the effort. He fanned six over 5.0 innings, allowing only a single run on three hits and three walks. He permitted just one hit until the bottom of the fifth when a one-out walk was followed by consecutive singles to break a scoreless tie.
Geiger added some insurance with a three-run homer in the sixth inning off the Knights’ bullpen.
Carleton will step away from competition until after winter term finals. The team will travel to Tucson, Ariz., for Spring Break. They will stop en route in Joplin, Mo., for a doubleheader versus Ozarks Christian College on Thursday, March 15 before continuing on to the Grand Canyon State.