HESSTON / LINDSBORG, Kan. – The Hesston College baseball team opened the 2026 season Feb. 7–8 with a four-game series against Bethany College. The Larks dropped the opener, responded with a walk-off win in Game 2, and battled through two competitive contests on Sunday to wrap up opening weekend.
Game 1 – Bethany 9, Hesston 4
Bethany used a four-run fourth inning to pull away and take the opener 9–4.
Hesston finished with nine hits, led by Federico Moran, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI. Trentis Lane added two hits and an RBI, while RJ Cruz doubled, drove in a run and scored. The Larks were aggressive on the bases with four stolen bases in the contest.
After falling behind 9–1, Hesston rallied in the seventh on Moran’s two-run double to trim the deficit, but Bethany closed it out.
Game 2 – Hesston 3, Bethany 2
The Larks bounced back with a 3–2 walk-off victory in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Bethany scored single runs in the first two innings, but Hesston answered immediately. In the bottom of the first, Trentis Lane was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run. The Larks tied the game in the fourth when Manuel Aranguren delivered an RBI single after Julian Cruz swiped both second and third.
The decisive moment came in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs, Moran singled and moved into scoring position before Kreyton Johnson ripped an RBI single to score the winning run.
Moran went 3-for-3 with a double, and Hesston drew seven walks as a team. On the mound, Aaron Shipp earned the win with four hitless innings in relief, striking out three.
Game 3 – Bethany 6, Hesston 4
Bethany edged the Larks 6–4 in Sunday’s opener in Lindsborg.
Hesston erupted for four runs in the third inning to tie the game at 4–4. R. Cruz drove in a run with a single, Moran added an RBI on a fielder’s choice, and Noel Cesena delivered the big swing — a two-run triple to right center.
Cesena finished 2-for-3 with two RBI and a triple, while Aranguren doubled and scored. The Larks totaled seven hits and five walks in the contest.
Bethany answered with two runs in the bottom of the third and kept Hesston off the board the rest of the way. Jacob Masters was sharp in relief, tossing two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Game 4 – Bethany 8, Hesston 5
The series finale saw Hesston jump out early before Bethany responded to take an 8–5 decision.
After trailing 2–0, the Larks exploded for five runs in the second inning. Cole Steinrich delivered a two-RBI single, Brandon Chim drove in a run after being hit by a pitch, and Moran added an RBI groundout as Hesston grabbed a 5–2 lead.
Steinrich finished with two RBI, while R. Cruz collected two hits and swiped a base. The Larks recorded six hits and four stolen bases in the game.
Bethany responded with five runs in the bottom of the second and added another in the third to retake control. Hesston was limited to just one hit over the final five innings as Bethany closed out the weekend.
