Back Inside: Once again it looks as though Mother Nature is attempting to prevent the Saint Benedict softball team from playing outside and she will be victorious once again. The Blazers will be stuck inside a dome once again as they play a doubleheader against Carleton College in the Irish Sports Dome in Rosemount, Minn. The times for the games will be 6:15 and 8:15 p.m.
About Carleton: The Knights are currently second in the MIAC with a 5-1 conference record. Since dropping their first conference game of the year against Augsburg, the Knights have won their past five games against Augsburg, St. Catherine, and Macalester. Luckily for them, they have been able to play outside and have seen players like junior infielder Jenna Ramey and first-year pitcher Keelin Davis tee off on opponents. Ramey, in particular, has dominated the competition as she is batting .426 with two triples, two homeruns and 19 stolen bases. Currently the Knights have seven players batting above the .300 mark and three players with 10+ RBI.
Last Meeting: The last time these two teams faced dates back to last season when they played a doubleheader at Carleton's home field in Northfield, Minn. They split the series at one apiece in low scoring bouts where the Blazers won the first 3-2 and dropped the second 4-3. Pitcher
Rachel Nelson allowed one earned run in the first game, while
Kelsey McQuillan,
Emma Steck, and
Lexi Alm all doubled in the game and jumped out to a 3-0 lead during the middle innings. The second game was another big one for Alm as she tied up the game early on with an RBI triple which she later came in to score on. The game was sent into extra frames as they traded blows in the eighth before the home Knights won it in walk-off fashion.
The Storyline: The Blazers are still looking for their first conference win after their return from a 9-3 spring trip to Florida. The team played Bethel twice this past Sunday and both were losing affairs falling 10-4 and 7-6, despite scoring first in each game. The Blazers will look to end the five-game winning streak of the Knights by playing improved defense, and rising the strong arms of pitchers
Rachel Nelson and
Emily Engelmeier.
Who To Watch: For the Blazers, it will be important to watch junior
Lexi Alm and first-year middle infiedler Kimberly Lidstone. These two Blazers are leading the squad in batting average with Alm batting .440 and Lidstone batting .433 from the leadoff spot. Each player also leads the team with 11 stolen bases on the year and look to continue being aggressive on the base paths. Each a starter in all 18 games, their base running has resulted in 22 runs for Alm and 15 for Lidstone, each team bests.
Last Time Out: Last Sunday, the Blazers opened MIAC play with a
sweep at the hands of Bethel on the road. The Royals scored three fourth-inning runs in the first game, to come back from a 4-3 deficit and take a lead they would never lose. They blew the game open with a four-run sixth, banging out 13 hits in the 10-4 win. In the second game, the Royals totaled 16 hits – the most allowed by the Blazers all season – tying the game for the first time in the sixth. The Blazers held a 6-0 lead after a five-run third, but the offense went silent, as the Royals tacked on four over the final two innings for the 7-6 win.
