Mankato, MN - The Martin Luther College baseball team recorded just five hits on Wednesday afternoon as they were defeated by the Bethany Vikings 20-0.

Bethany jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning after a sacrifice fly from Ben Hopper. The Knights had a chance to get on the score column or tie the Vikings in the bottom of the first inning, but were unable to do so after Sam Rodriguez grounded out to third base. MLC would leave two runners stranded on base and missed a prime opportunity to build some confidence.

Carter Seltz was on the hill for MLC and lost command of the plate after retiring the first two batters in the top of the second inning. However, the sophomore regrouped to strikeout Liam Peterson and got out of a bases loaded jam to prevent further damage.

The following inning didn't fair as well for Seltz, as the Vikings would post a seven-run frame and would find their stride offensively. The Vikings didn't look back at that point and recorded 17 hits on the way to their 20-0 win over MLC.

Despite the double-digit loss, the Knights did drive the ball well into the outfield and went deep into counts on various at-bats. The five hits came from five different MLC batters, with the lone extra-base hit coming from Caleb Heckendorf, who doubled to center field in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Seltz threw 2.2 innings and gave up nine runs (six earned) on six hits allowed, striking out three Bethany batters.

The MLC Knights fall to (3-9, 0-4) on the season and will look to secure their first conference win of the year when they play a doubleheader at North Central on Sunday, April 16. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.