College of Saint Benedict softball coach
Denny Johnson earned his 500th career victory Thursday evening as the Blazers swept Carleton College 1-0 and 14-1 in St. Joseph, Minn. First-year pitcher
Rachel Nelson's shutout and senior
Abby Richardson's RBI single were the difference in the opener. In game two, CSB collected 16 hits en route to the five-inning milestone victory for Johnson.
In the opener, the Blazers bunched together three singles from junior
Lis Wieneke, senior
Kristen Herges, and Richardson in the top of the third inning. Richardson's RBI single to left-center was the only run support needed as Nelson fired a complete game shutout. Nelson scattered seven hits and struck out two batters to earn her seventh win of the season.
Herges and Richardson both went 2-for-3 at the plate to pace the CSB offense. First-year
Stacy Svihel, junior
Sierra Dooley, and Wieneke collected the only other hits for the Blazers.
In the nightcap, the scored early and often and led by a score of 13-0 after three complete innings. The five-run first inning was highlighted by three straight RBI singles from Dooley, Wieneke, and senior
Devin Bowlin. CSB added two more runs in the second inning on a two-run homerun off the bat of first-year
Lexi Alm. In the very next inning, Alm hit a grand slam homerun to continue the impressive CSB offensive display. Dooley's RBI triple and first-year
Maddie Lenker's pinch-hit RBI single gave the Blazers their 13-0 lead. The Knights and Blazers traded runs in the fourth inning to make the final score 14-1.
Alm paced the CSB offense in game two with her two homeruns and seven RBIs. Dooley added a 3-for-4 performance at the plate with two runs scored and two RBIs, while senior catcher
Carissa Hancock went 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Eleven Blazers recorded at least one hit in the game. Junior
Emma Alwin picked up the victory in game two by pitching three innings and holding the Knights to one hit.
The Blazers are back in action tomorrow, Friday, April 30 when they host the University of St. Thomas in a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. The Tommies will enter tomorrow's game with a 16-0 MIAC record.
Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
