The Bethany College baseball team finished their KCAC conference schedule this past week.  The Swedes traveled to Ottawa University on Tuesday for a rain make-up before battling Friends University at Anderson Field on Thursday.  The squad ended the week with a trip to Wichita for their last conference doubleheader.

Ottawa took a 2-0 lead in game one before the Swedes tied the game in the sixth.  However, the Braves would add one more run to defeat Bethany 3-2.  Junior Jeremy Craig led with two hits as junior Daryl Schlepp and freshman J.W. Miller each had one.  Schlepp had two RBIs.  Junior Brian Guyett got the start, facing 24 batters, striking out four and giving up six hits.

After scoring in the first inning of game two, Bethany would lose the contest 3-1 as the Braves added one run in the third and two in the sixth.  Junior Kofi Osei-Aning had two hits while senior Craig Barnes had one.  Junior Ryan Mashinter started for Bethany, facing 23 batters, striking out six and giving up six hits.

Bethany came out firing in game one with Friends on Thursday.  Thanks to three runs in both the second and third innings, the Swedes came out with a 6-2 win.  Osei-Aning, Barnes, and junior Wes Walker all had two hits each.  Juniors Aaron Larsen, Darrin Biegert, and Schlepp each tacked on one hit.  Osei-Aning had three RBIs while Biegert had two and Larsen had one.  Sophomore T.D. Huett got the start and win, facing 27 batters, striking out 6 and giving up seven hits.

After a 5-0 Bethany lead, Friends scored six runs in the fourth and never looked back as they blew past the Swedes for a 15-8 win.  Barnes, Larsen, and Biegert all had two hits while Walker, Osei-Aning, Schlepp, Craig, and Miller each tacked on one.  Osei-Aning, Biegert, and Schlepp tallied two RBIs apiece as Walker and senior Rodney McFarlane had one.  Junior Brian Wojtikiewicz got the start as junior Josue Iniguez came in as relief.

In Wichita to complete the series with Friends, Bethany suffered an 8-4 loss in game one.  Schlepp led with two hits while Barnes and Walker each had one.  The RBIs were attributed to each of those three players with one each.  Guyett got the start for Bethany.

The Swedes showed their resilient side in game two.  After losing an early lead, Bethany added two runs in the seventh.  However, the ball did not roll their way as a Falcon hit a walk-off, base clearing bases loaded double in the bottom of the 7th to hand the Swedes a 6-4 loss.  Biegert, Schlepp, and Walker all had two hits while Barnes, Osei-Aning, Miller, and freshman Matt Mallot all had one.  Biegert led with three RBIs and Miller and Mallot both had one.  Mashinter got the start as Wojtkiewicz came in as relief.

Bethany will head to Manhattan Christian College on Monday, April 27th at 4:00 pm.  The Swedes will close out their season with a nine-inning game against NCAA Division II Fort Hays State University on Tuesday, April 28th at 6:00 pm.  The squad ended conference with a 6-18 record.  The Swedes are now 17-31 overall.