ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team picked up a pair of big regional wins against Buena Vista this weekend in Storm Lake, Iowa. CSB won the first game by five runs and the second by four, but in both games, there were key hits that helped spark rallies to eventually lift the team to the wins.
In an 8-3 win in the first game of the day, Claire Boatman kicked got scoring started with a two-run double. In an 8-4 win – that was much closer until the final inning – in Game 2, Boatman hit a two-run triple in the third to put CSB ahead. For her timely hits and big week at the plate, Boatman is this week’s CSB Athlete of the Week.
In CSB’s first game of the day, it scored three runs in the first and third innings to build a big lead and then cruise to the win. In the first inning, Boatman hit a two-run double to center to put CSB up 2-0 and set the tone for the game. She added a single in the third inning, and came around to score both times.
In the second game, Boatman gave CSB a one-run lead in what turned into a dramatic and high-scoring game. The Beavers took a 1-0 lead in the second, but Boatman hit a two-run triple in the top of the third to put CSB on top 2-1. Boatman singled in the sixth, and reached on an error as part of a six-run seventh inning where CSB took advantage of six hits and two BVU errors.
Boatman finished the day batting 4-for-8 with a double, a triple and four RBIs. She is currently second on the team with a .400 batting average and 22 hits, and has started in all 16 of the team’s games.
Boatman and her teammates are scheduled to open home and MIAC play this weekend when they host Macalester and St. Kate’s this Saturday and Sunday. Both games are slated to start at 1 p.m. at the new turf softball field at the Outdoor Athletics Complex across College Avenue.
