Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 ROSEMONT, Ill. —The Bethel Pilots opened the 2026 Season on Friday morning with a 7-2 victory over Calumet College of St. Joseph before falling 6-0 to Aquinas College at the Dome at The Parkway Bank Sports Complex. 

GAME ONE

Bethel wasted no time getting on the board in the top of the first. Alyssa Forys led off with a double, and Morgan Blubaum followed with an RBI double to bring her home. After two flyouts, Madelynn Queen delivered the big swing of the inning, launching a two-run home run to give the Pilots an early 3–0 lead.

The offense added three more runs in the fourth. After Queen singled and pinch runner Addison McCarty stole second and third, Sonia Yoder walked and later stole second. Faith Douglas drove in two runs with a double to left field. Later in the inning, Blubaum added an RBI single to push the lead to 6–0.

Calumet scored its first run in the fifth, but Bethel continued to dominate in the seventh.

Madison Shaw singled to start the inning and later scored on an RBI single by Sonia Yoder, extending the lead to 7–1.

Calumet added one run in the bottom of the seventh, but the Pilots closed it out for the 7–2 victory.

Bethel finished with 13 hits, led by Blubaum (3-for-4, 2 RBI) and Queen (3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI). Douglas added two hits and two RBI's, while White also recorded two hits.

In the circle, H. Allen pitched a complete game, allowing just four hits and two runs while striking out nine over seven innings

The Pilots begin the 2026 campaign at 1–0 with a balanced performance between offense and defense. 


GAME TWO

The Bethel Pilots closed out day one of the tournament with a tough matchup against Aquinas (Mich.), falling 6–0 in game two on Friday afternoon.

Bethel recorded six hits in the contest, highlighted by multi-hit performances from Blubaum (2-for-3) and key base knocks from Alyssa Forys, Madelynn Queen, Grace Walker, and Sonia White. Forys sparked the offense in the third inning with a triple to right field, while White added a double in the seventh to put two runners in scoring position.

The Pilots continued to battle throughout the game, turning solid defensive plays and getting contributions in the circle from Ryen Clair, Harmony Looney, and Alysa Fritz. Looney and Fritz combined to close the final three innings, with Fritz tossing a scoreless seventh inning to limit further damage.

The Pilots kept competing the entire game and put runners on base late, but were unable to bring them home.

Head Coach Natalie Newell shared, "It was great to come out and get on the field to play today. We competed hard and played great team softball. Getting that first win is always exciting and we're ready to get back to work on the things we learned today." 

The Bethel Pilots will look to bounce back in the next competition against the Defiance College Yellowjackets on Feb. 24. Bethel will take Sal Hench Field at 2 PM.

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