St. Bonifacius, Minn. - The Polars hosted Bethany Lutheran on Thursday for a doubleheader at Missile Park in St. Bonifacius, Minnesota. Crown dropped both games, moving to 6-8 in conference play.

Game 1:

The Vikings jumped out to a fast start, scoring eight runs in the first inning to take early control. TJ Rielly put the Polars on the board with a home run to right-center field, and Blayke Reyburn followed with a two-RBI single in the second to cut the deficit to 8-3.

Bethany added one run in both the third and fourth innings, but the Polars responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth. Gideon Vana scored on a fielder's choice by Caden Esquerra, followed by RBI singles from Bryan Gerbers and Keegan Eastman to make it 10-6.

After the Vikings scored twice in the fifth, Crown continued to chip away. An RBI single from Rielly and a two-RBI double by Easton McKenzie in the sixth brought the Polars within three. However, Bethany pulled away late, scoring 10 unanswered runs to secure a 22-9 victory.

Reyburn made the most of his move to the leadoff spot, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Rielly led the offense, finishing 4-for-5 with a home run, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Gerbers, McKenzie, and Vana each added two hits.

Game 2:

Bethany once again struck early, scoring two runs in the top of the first. The Polars answered immediately with three runs in the bottom half. Reyburn scored on a wild pitch, and Carson Sanders delivered a two-RBI single to give Crown a 3-2 lead.

Charlie Joyce added another run in the second, scoring on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 4-2. Bethany plated one run in the fourth, but the Polars pitching staff kept the Vikings in check through much of the game.

Cole Vahovick threw four solid innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits while striking out three. Joaquin Pfieffer followed with three scoreless innings in relief, adding three strikeouts of his own.

The Vikings broke through late, scoring four runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth to take a 9-5 lead. Crown was unable to complete the comeback in the bottom of the ninth, managing just one run while leaving two runners in scoring position.

McKenzie continued his strong stretch at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Eastman also recorded two hits in the game.

The Polars will look to bounce back as they continue the series on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m., needing a key win late in the season.