ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team wrapped up 2015 with a split against St. Olaf Saturday afternoon. The Blazers lost the first game 7-4 after the Oles got some timely hits late, then turned around and beat the Oles by the same score on the CSB campus.
 
CSB, which had 12 first years on its 2015 roster, finished the year 22-18 overall and 11-11 and tied for sixth in the MIAC. Both CSB and Saint Mary's had 11-11 conference marks. The top four teams make the double-elimination conference tournament, which is next weekend.
 
The second-game win put head coach Rachael Click at 70 wins in her coaching career at CSB. She entered the season with 48 wins in her first two seasons with the Blazers.
 
After losing game one, the Blazers came out and scored two runs in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead over the Oles. Kim Lidstone singled, stole second, advanced on a groundout and scored on a double by Sara Wennerstrand. Wennerstrand came around to score on an RBI single by Becky Gigstad.
 
The Oles got on run back in the second on a solo homer, and took a 4-2 lead in the third thanks to a three-run home run by Brooke Paradise, but Saint Benedict answered right back in the bottom of the inning. Megan Toninato walked and stole second and Melissa Seldon singled, and Gigstad put the Blazers up 5-4 with a three-run homer of her own.
 
The Blazers added a run in the fifth on an RBI double by Gigstad and one more in the sixth on an RBI single by Bailey O'Hotto.
 
Gigstad finished 3-for-3 with five RBIs in the second game. She was the only player with multiple hits for CSB, which had 10 total hits. Melissa Seldon threw all seven innings to earn the win. She gave up four runs on seven hits with four strikeouts.
 
St. Olaf struck first in game one thanks to a two-run homer in the first inning. The Blazers made it a one-run game in the bottom of the inning when Lidstone singled, stole second, advanced on a sac bunt and scored on a passed ball. The Oles snagged a 3-1 lead in the second on an RBI double, but CSB made it a one-run game again in the third when Wennerstrand hit a sac bunt down the third-base line to score O'Hotto.
 
The Blazers took a 4-3 lead in the fifth when O'Hotto singled, stole second and scored when Lidstone reached on a throwing error. Lidstone advanced on a single by Toninato, and scored on a sac fly by Seldon. That lead was short lived, however, as St. Olaf loaded the bases with two outs and scored a pair of runs on a CSB error. The Oles added two more runs in the seventh on two RBI doubles, and the Blazers failed to score in the seventh.
 
Lidstone finished the first game 3-for-4 for CSB, which had eight hits. Cassie Meyer threw the first inning and came out after giving up two runs on four hits. Taylor Ellingson threw the final six innings and took the loss after giving up five runs on six hits.
 
The Blazers lose just two seniors from their 2015 roster in Mackenzie Wenner and Emma Steck. Four juniors, one sophomore and 12 first years made up the remainder of this season's roster.