ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Becky Gigstad has had some clutch hits for the College of Saint Benedict softball season, but she saved perhaps her biggest week of the year for last.
Gigstad batted nearly .600 in four games last week to help the Blazers go 3-1 and wrap up the year with a win over St. Olaf. She sent in 10 runs, and hit two three-run homers. For her big week, Gigstad has been named the Blazer Athlete of the Week.
Gigstad, a first year from Burnsville, Minn., started the week with a two-hit, four-RBI performance against Carleton. She went 2-for-4 with an RBI triple and a three-run home run to help the Blazers defeat the Knights 11-3 in the first game. Gigstad added an RBI double in the second game to help CSB win 11-3 in five innings.
Saturday against St. Olaf, Gigstad was just as good. She doubled in the first game, a 7-4 loss to the Oles, but came back and went a perfect 3-for-3 in game two, including a three-run homer in the third inning to put the Blazers up 5-4. She added an RBI double in the fifth to put CSB up 6-4 and help put the game out of reach.
Gigstad finished the week with seven hits – including three doubles, two homers and one triple – and 10 RBIs. She wrapped up her first season with the Blazers batting .297 with 27 hits, including nine doubles, a team-high four home runs and two triples. She had 23 RBIs, a team-best .571 slugging percentage and a .356 on-base percentage. Gigstad also recorded 60 putouts and 102 assists from the infield this season.
The Blazers ended the year 22-18 overall and 11-11 in the MIAC. CSB loses two seniors and returns plenty of young talent – including Gigstad – in 2016.
