St. Cloud, Minn.  – The Saint Benedict softball team got the season started off on the right foot on Friday night (Feb. 14), sweeping UW-Stout in a doubleheader by scores of 3-2 and 4-2 respectively.
 
The Blazers (2-0) won the first game with a walk off in the seventh to win 3-2, and then scored a pair of sixth inning runs in the second game for a 4-2 win to complete the sweep.
 
Kim Lidstone (Minnetonka, Minn.) scored the winning run in each game, first coming across off a Lonnica Johnson (Stillwater, Minn.) seventh inning single to win game one 3-2 for the Blazers. Lidstone led the game off with a walk and then advanced to second on a while pitch before Johnson drove her home.
 
Johnson drove in all three runs in the game one win.
 
In game two the score again sat tied 2-2, with Lidstone reaching base to lead off the inning in the sixth – this time on a bunt single. She then stole second, and when Lexi Alm (Stacy, Minn.) hit a ground rule double down the right field line, Lidstone crossed to put the Blazers up 3-2. Alm would later come around to score for the 4-2 final.
 
UW-Stout (0-2) jumped out to early 2-0 leads in each game before the Blazers regrouped and came back to win.
 
Lidstone finished 3-for-6 on the day, with four runs scored. Kelsey McQuillan (Stillwater, Minn.) opened the day with a 3-for-3 performance in game one, and went on to lead the team with four hits on the day.  
 
Rachel Nelson (Lindstrom, Minn.) and Emily Engelmeier (South St. Paul, Minn.) each went the distance in the circle, collecting the wins in games one and two respectively.
 
Nelson allowed nine hits while striking out seven in the game one win, while Engelmeier allowed only seven hits and struck out five of her own.
 
The Blazers are now off until they head to Florida during Spring break in the first week of March for 12 games over eight days.