Royals win 2023 MIAC Softball Playoff title

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – For the second consecutive season, the Bethel Royals are softball playoff champions of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC). The Royals defeated No. 4 Gustavus and No. 2 Saint Benedict, both in 1-0 games, on Saturday afternoon to claim the MIAC Playoff crown. Bethel will now advance on to the 2023 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament as the MIAC's automatic qualifier to the national championships.

| 2023 MIAC SOFTBALL PLAYOFFS |

NO. 1 BETHEL 1, NO. 4 GUSTAVUS 0 | BOX SCORE |
Bethel advanced on to the MIAC title game for the second year in a row with a fast-moving, 1-0 victory over No. 4-seeded Gustavus on Saturday morning. Royals right-hander Kayla Simacek worked quickly in a near-perfect performance, allowing just one Gustavus hit in a game that lasted just over an hour in length. Gustie infielder Kayla Ruud broke up Simacek's bid for a perfect game with a single to left field in the top of the sixth inning. Simacek finished with eight strikeouts in seven innings of work. Kayla Hokenson brought home the only score of the game with an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning.

NO. 2 SAINT BENEDICT 8, NO. 3 ST. OLAF 1 | BOX SCORE |
Five runs in the fourth inning and three more in the fifth landed Saint Benedict a spot in the MIAC Softball Playoff championship with an 8-1 win over St. Olaf on Saturday. All three of the team's extra-base hits scored runs, including Hannah Sundem's two-RBI triple in the fourth. Gabby Spencer and Cat Smetana both finished the game with a pair of hits. Smetana's RBI-double scored the game's first run. Ellie Peterson held St. Olaf to one run on two hits with three strikeouts in seven innings. Ole designated player Katie Weisheit was 1-for-2 with an RBI single in the fifth inning.

NO. 1 BETHEL 1, NO. 2 SAINT BENEDICT 0 | BOX SCORE |
A Lexi DeBace single down the right field line in the bottom of the fourth inning that scored Allie Fauth-Kilgore was enough to propel Bethel to its second straight MIAC Playoff title with a 1-0 win over No. 2 Saint Benedict in the championship game on Saturday afternoon. In a pitcher's duel between Bethel ace Kayla Simacek and Saint Benedict right-hander Elly Novak, one run was all that separated the MIAC's top-two softball clubs. Simacek struck out eight and walked one, allowing four hits and no runs in seven innings. Novak struck out seven and allowed one run on four hits for the Bennies. Both center fielder Gabby Spencer and catcher Bryn Carlstrom went 2-for-3 in the game for CSB. DeBace was 2-for-3 with the RBI single to lead Bethel at the plate.

Following the title game, Bethel was presented with the MIAC Softball Playoff Championship plaque. The Royals also received the conference's automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division III Softball Tournament. The NCAA will announce the entire field for the national tournament at noon Monday on NCAA.com.

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