ARDEN HILLS, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict softball team picked up its third straight MIAC split Wednesday afternoon when it played Bethel University. The Blazers won the first game 3-1 and then fell 9-2 to the Royals in Arden Hills, Minn.
The loss marked the second conference loss of the year for the Royals, who are now 13-9 overall and 6-2 in the MIAC. Bethel's only other conference loss is to St. Thomas. Saint Benedict is now 14-10 overall and in sixth in the league with a 3-3 record.
The Blazers waited until the final two innings to score their three runs in the first game. Neither team scored until the sixth inning, and the Blazers didn't have a runner pass second base until the sixth.
Bailey O'Hotto singled to start the inning but was thrown out when
Megan Toninato reached on an error. Toninato advanced to third when
Taylor Ellingson grounded out, and she came around to score on a wild pitch to put CSB up 1-0.
Saint Benedict scored all the runs in would need in the top of the seventh.
Mackenzie Wenner singled and
Kristen Eustice came in as a pinch runner. Eustice advanced on a sac bunt by
Becky Gigstad, and she scored on an RBI double by
Melissa Seldon.
Kim Lidstone reached on an error, and Seldon came around to score an unearned run on the error to put the Blazers up 3-0.
Bethel got one run back in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single, but Saint Benedict was able to hold the Royals and hang on for the win.
O'Hotto went 2-for-3 to lead CSB, which had five total hits.
Cassie Meyer threw all seven innings and gave up one run on seven hits. She struck out two batters.
The Blazers got on the board first in the second game when Lidstone singled and scored on an RBI double by
Sara Wennerstrand. The Royals tied the game in the bottom of the inning, and took a 4-1 lead thanks to three hits in the third inning. Bethel added another run in the fourth, but CSB made it 5-2 in the fifth when
Emma Steck singled and scored on an RBI single from O'Hotto, but Bethel added one run in both the fifth and three more in the sixth to pull out the win.
Lidstone finished 2-for-3 to lead CSB in the second game. The Blazers had seven total hits. Seldon threw the first 4.2 innings and took the loss after giving up six runs on eight hits. Meyer threw two-thirds of an innings and gave up three runs on two hits, and Ellingson threw the final two-thirds of an inning.
The Blazers return home Saturday, April 11, when they host Concordia at 1 p.m. on the CSB campus. The Blazers host Macalester at 1 p.m. Sunday, April 12.
