Pella, Iowa - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse softball team fell 2-0 to Bethel University (Minn.) in a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Regional match-up Thursday afternoon at Central College (Iowa).

The loss drops the Eagles to 28-14 while the Royals improve to 34-3. UWL will play Grinnell College (Iowa) in an elimination game on Friday, May 19 at 1:30 p.m. The Royals will face NCAA Regional host Central College (Iowa) at 11 a.m. on Friday. Central (Iowa) defeated Grinnell (Iowa), 3-2 on Thursday.

Neither team would get much going over the first three innings as Bethel (Minn.) recorded a hit in the second and third inning while UWL was held hitless through three innings. UWL would threaten in the bottom half of the fourth inning as Kyra Lard led-off with a single and advanced to second on a Jordyn McCormack single. However, Bethel (Minn.) pitcher Kayla Simacek retired the next three Eagles to get out of the inning. 

The Royals would get on the scoreboard in the fifth inning as Sidney Bartels hit a one out double and scored when Cortney Hokanson reached on a throwing error. Then in the sixth inning, Bethel (Minn.) added another unearned run. With two outs, Kayla Hokanson reached on a fielding error and advanced to second on a single by Autumn Earney.  Izzy Wilhelm then drove in Hokanson from second with a single to give Bethel (Minn.) a 2-0 lead.

After the Eagles were retired in order in the sixth inning, UWL would get a two-out double by Madi O'Brien in the seventh. Isabel Queenan pinch ran for O'Brien and advanced to third on a throwing error when Bethel (Minn.) tried to pick her off. However, Simacek would get Jordan Schultz to fly out to end the game. 

UWL finished with three hits including singles by Lard and McCormack and a double from O'Brien.

Elise Weinzierl (14-7) suffered the loss for the Eagles, going 7.0 innings, allowing two unearned runs on six hits while striking out one. 

Bethel (Minn.) finished with six hits, including two from Wilhelm and Cortney Hokanson. Simacek (32-3) earned the win for the Royals as she picked up the complete-game victory with nine strikeouts and allowing three hits and one walk in 7.0 innings.